An enchanting holiday tradition.
Join Clara on her incredible Christmas Eve journey to the Land of the Sweets with Indianapolis Ballet’s annual holiday tradition of The Nutcracker. Since 2007, our production of The Nutcracker has continued to enchant audiences here in central Indiana. You will be swept away by swirling snowflakes, waltzing flowers, and the majestic Sugar Plum Fairy as Tchaikovsky’s beloved score, led by Andrew Grams and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, fills Clowes Memorial Hall.
Performances
Clowes Memorial Hall
Thursday, December 17, 2026, 7:30pm (Sensory Friendly Performance without the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra)
Friday, December 18, 2026, 7:30pm
Saturday, December 19, 2026, 2:00 & 7:30pm
Sunday, December 20, 2026, 1:00 & 6:00pm
Tuesday, December 22, 2026, 2:00pm
Quick Info
Ballet in Two Acts
Approximately 2 hours, one intermission
Recommended for ages 5 & up
Conductor: Andrew Grams
Tickets sold separately, not included in season subscription packages
Sensory Friendly Performance
Thursday, December 17, 2026, 7:30pm
What makes a performance Sensory Friendly?
Patrons are allowed to move freely through the aisles during the performance.
Individuals are free to vocalize during the performance.
House lights remain on at a low level during the performance.
Flashing lights or strobes are eliminated from the performance.
Some loud sounds or startling moments are omitted from the performance.
Entering and exiting the theatre is allowed throughout the performance as needed.
The Krannert Room at Clowes Memorial Hall with serve as a quiet room and is available as needed.A livestream of the performance will also bee available in this space.
Soothing items such as iPads, headphones, and fidget toys are allowed in the theatre.
Indianapolis Ballet is pleased to offer an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter at our Sensory Friendly Performance of The Nutcracker. The interpreter will be available to assist patrons throughout their visit, including support with ticketing needs upon arrival and guidance to seating within the theater.
If you or a member of your party requires additional accommodations to ensure the best possible experience, please contact us in advance. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all audience members.
For special accommodation requests or questions, please email tcocagne@indyballet.org.
Although these performances are adapted specifically to accommodate individuals with sensory sensitivities, the general public is welcome to attend.
Questions about the performance? Please call (317) 955-7525 or email admin@indyballet.org.
Box Office
The Clowes Memorial Hall Box Office is open to the public Wednesday through Friday from 10am until 4pm. The box office will open two hours prior to each ticketed event to provide day of show walkup sales and will call services. Advance ticket sales are not available two hours prior to ticketed events. The information line is monitored Monday through Friday from 10am until 4pm.
Contact Information:
Email: clowesboxoffice@butler.edu
Phone: 317.940.6444
Third-Party Ticketing Platforms
Be aware of scammers! Be sure that your tickets to Indianapolis Ballet’s The Nutcracker are real tickets. When purchasing your tickets, be sure you are going through our website, indyballet.org or Ticketmaster, NOT a third-party ticketing resale platform. This way, you get real seats at the best prices.
If you have questions before purchasing tickets, please call as (317) 955-7525 or the Clowes Memorial Box Office at (317) 940-6444.
Have a discount code?
Tickets to The Nutcracker are sold via Ticketmaster. Note that the code needs to be entered at the seat selection stage - not the checkout stage - of the ticket purchasing process.
Go to Ticketmaster, choose one of seven magical performances, and click Find Tickets.
Navigate to the right side of your screen, then locate and click the "Unlock"button.
When prompted to enter the offer passcode and click "Unlock." This should refresh the prices to reflect your discount. You may then proceed to add seats into your cart. Enjoy!
Venue
Clowes Memorial Hall - Butler University
4602 Sunset Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46208
The Music
The Story
The Nutcracker
It’s Christmas Eve and the Stahlbaum family is hosting a grand party. The children, Clara and her little brother Fritz, are celebrating with their parents, family and friends. While the children receive their gifts, Clara’s mysterious Godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer, arrives. He astonishes the guests with magic tricks, even bringing mechanical dolls to life!
Drosselmeyer produces a beautiful Nutcracker and gives it to Clara. She graciously accepts and begins dancing with it. Fritz becomes jealous of Clara’s new toy, grabs the Nutcracker from her and breaks it. When Clara begins to cry, Drosselmeyer steps in to restore the toy to perfect condition.
As the evening’s festivities come to an end, the family retires, but Clara is unable to sleep. She returns to the parlor to look for her beloved Nutcracker and falls into a deep slumber on the sofa. When the clock strikes midnight, she is suddenly awakened by the pitter-patter of mice scampering on the floor.
As she flees from the mice, Drosselmeyer reappears, casting spells that make the Stahlbaum’s christmas tree grow, and brings the Nutcracker and his army of toy soldiers to life. A battle ensues between the mice and toy soldiers, led by the Mouse King and the Nutcracker. Clara throws her shoe at the Mouse King, which distracts him from the Nutcracker’s final attack.
As the mourning mice carry their defeated leader, Drosselmeyer transforms the Nutcracker into the Snow King, who introduces the Snow Queen and the Snowflakes to Clara and Drosselmeyer, guiding them through the glittering night sky to the Land of the Sweets.
When they arrive, they are greeted by the Dew Drop and are treated to a spectacular festival of colorful dances. Clara meets amazing characters performing Chinese Tea, Arabian Coffee and Russian Trepak dancers. Marzipan dancers play their mirliton flutes, Mother Ginger introduces her children, called Polichinelles, the Dew Drop returns with her retinue of Flowers, and the procession culminates in the elegant and exciting dances of the Sugar Plum Fairy with her Cavalier. With these fantastical sights and sounds swirling around her, Clara wonders if all these amazing events are truly happening, or if she is in the midst of an incredible dream…
About the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1930 by German conductor and local violin teacher Ferdinand Schaefer. At first, comprised of volunteer musicians who split the revenue from ticket sales, the ISO became a professional orchestra with salaried musicians in 1937. That same year, Fabien Sevitzky – a Russian-born conductor and nephew of famed conductor Serge Koussevitsky – became Music Director of the ISO. Sevitzky’s appointment was highlighted in an April 5, 1937 article in Time Magazine, which began, “Of Midwestern orchestras, none has risen so rapidly or so recently as the Indianapolis Symphony.”
Soon after, the ISO blossomed into one of the nation’s most renowned orchestras. Sevitzky worked to promote the ISO through a variety of national radio broadcasts, and his successor, Izler Solomon, ensured the creation of the Clowes Memorial Hall on the campus of Butler University as a venue meant specifically for the ISO (until then, the ISO had been performing at the Murat Theater). Throughout the 1950s and 60s, the ISO recorded a series of “Salute” concerts to countries such as Finland, Korea, Japan, Formosa, Portugal, The Netherlands, Israel, Mexico, Austria, Venezuela, Thailand, Greece, and Chile – earning the Orchestra a 1962 Citation from the Voice of America and the United States Information Agency as well as a letter of commendation from President John F. Kennedy – the first-ever such commendation to a symphony orchestra. The “Salute” most often brought a return musical greeting from an orchestra in the honored country, the tape of which was broadcast over WFBM radio in Indianapolis.
Solomon’s successor, John Nelson (1976-1987), is associated with the Orchestra’s appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, plus a debut European tour in 1987. In the summer of 1982, a 14-year-old violinist named Joshua Bell was the first performer for the ISO’s Symphony on the Prairie series, and in 1984, the ISO moved downtown to its new home at the restored movie palace — the Circle Theatre.
In 1987, internationally renowned performer, conductor, and composer, Raymond Leppard (1987-2001) was selected as the Orchestra’s fifth Music Director. During his tenure, several key accomplishments took place: a return to regular recording with a series of CDs on the Koss Classics and Decca labels; performances on NPR’s “Performance Today”; nationally-syndicated radio broadcasts of ISO concerts; acclaimed tours on the East Coast and two tours of Europe; and a performance at Carnegie Hall as part of the venue’s centennial season.
Following Maestro Leppard’s retirement, Mario Venzago was appointed Music Director (2002-2009) and led the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in a deeper commitment to repertoire of the mid-19th century — specifically works by Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann — the Second Viennese School, contemporary scores and new commissions, including Jennifer Higdon’s Violin Concerto with world-renowned violinist Hilary Hahn in 2008.
From 2011-2021 Krzysztof Urbański served as the seventh Music Director of the ISO, and upon his appointment, was the youngest Music Director of any major American orchestra. During Urbański’s tenure, the ISO was selected to perform at SHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestrasat the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in April 2018.
The ISO welcomed Jun Märkl as its eighth Music Director of the ISO effective September 1, 2024, which marked the beginning of the 2024–25 season. Maestro Märkl made his debut as music director designate conducting The Music of Strauss on January 26–27, 2024, at Hilbert Circle Theatre amid a week of celebrations.
Music Directors
Ferdinand Schaefer (1930-1937)
Fabien Sevitzky (1937-1955)
Izler Solomon (1956-1975)
John Nelson (1976-1987)
Raymond Leppard (1987-2001), Conductor Laureate from 2001 to his death in 2019
Mario Venzago (2002-2009)
Krzysztof Urbański (2011-2021)
Jun Märkl (2024-present)
Pops Conductors
Erich Kunzel, Pops Music Director (1982-2002)
Jack Everly, Principal Pops Conductor (2002-present)
Enrico Lopez-Yañez, Principal Guest Conductor of Pops (2024-present)
For more information and performances, please visit www.indianapolissymphony.org.