Travel back to the 1893 World’s Fair with a conversation exploring The Joffrey Ballet’s 2018 production of The Nutcracker, set during Chicago’s historic Columbian Exposition. Alison Hinderliter (Interim Lloyd Lewis Curator of Modern Manuscripts at the Newberry), Ashley Wheater (Artistic Director of The Joffrey Ballet), and Hedy Wiess (Chicago arts critic) discuss how the production’s imagery and choreography evoke the 1893 event. Film clips of the production illustrate the way the set of the ballet makes use of its location within the Auditorium Theater, which was itself an important venue at the 1893 Fair.

Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, The Joffrey Ballet’ production of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker runs December 1-30, 2018 at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago.