The Ruth Page Center for the Arts has for more than 50 years provided Chicago audiences with the holiday classic "The Nutcracker," a rite of passage for children of all ages and a fixture of the Chicago holiday season since 1965. This iconic production was choreographed by one of Chicago’s most celebrated dance artists, Ruth Page, and raised more than $8 million for Chicago Tribune Charities which provided grants for literacy and employment programs over the years. Attended by over three million people, it was presented at the McCormick Place Arie Crown Theater until 1997.
“The Nutcracker” went on to find a new home at Northeastern Illinois University beginning in 2012, where it has been performed by the Ruth Page Civic Ballet annually to sold-out houses. The Ruth Page Civic Ballet performances blend Ruth Page’s beloved original full-length staging with additional choreography by Larry Long and Dolores Lipinski Long, co-founders of the Ruth Page School of Dance with Ruth Page. Featuring an international cast of guest artists alongside the elite company, stunning costumes and magical settings in the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of the Sweets, these performances have continued to bring world-class entertainment and holiday joy for children of all ages.
In 2020, due to COVID-19 and new CDC rules and regulations regarding gathering in a theater, The Ruth Page Center for the Arts presents three new Holiday events as part of “Winter Spectacular: From Our Home to Yours.” This November and December, The Center presents a virtual performance with a special online video retrospective of this historic “The Nutcracker;” a new in-person and family-friendly immersive “The Nutcracker” experience presented across five floors within the historic Ruth Page Center building; and a special online Holiday auction. Proceeds from these events support the educational, outreach, and artistic programs and services provided by The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, and help prepare a return to the stage for the beloved Holiday production as soon as it is safe. As a stepping off point for its year-long 50th Anniversary celebration beginning January 2021, these three new events help connect The Ruth Page Center’s past with a view to the future as it continues its role as a vital and critical cultural asset for the city of Chicago.
A Sugar Plum of a Tradition: Ruth Page’s “The Nutcracker” Past, Present & Future
- VIRTUAL EVENT
- Friday, Nov. 27 through Thursday, Dec. 31
- PRICE: $20
- Tickets available online beginning October 12
The Ruth Page Center for the Arts is proud to share a new, behind the scenes view of the beloved Holiday tradition and the longest running “The Nutcracker” in Chicago’s history. This online documentary shares archival film footage, interviews with distinguished guest artists and commentary from the creative forces that have brought this famous Holiday production to millions of people since 1965.
2020 Winter Spectacular Online Auction
- VIRTUAL EVENT
- Monday, Nov. 30 - Wednesday, Dec. 16
The Ruth Page Center hosts a spectacular online auction this season to help offset the loss of the popular live and silent auctions at the annual Ruth Page Legacy Gala traditionally held in May. Funds raised help support the educational, outreach and artistic programs and services provided by the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Items up for bid include a diamond necklace, limited edition prints of Isamu Noguchi original costume designs for Ruth Page’s 1932 ballet “Expanding Universe,” stunning black and white photographic prints of Ruth Page in some of her best known dances, and much more.
Visions: A Nutcracker Experience
- IN-PERSON EVENT
- Friday, Dec. 4 - Sunday, Dec. 20
- Schedule: Fridays and Saturdays at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. and
- Sundays at 12, 1, 2, 5 and 6 p.m.
- Ticket: $45 per ticket for adults, $25 per ticket for children ages 12 years old and younger
- Tickets available online beginning October 12
Chicago’s oldest “The Nutcracker” tradition is transformed into a one-of-a-kind, socially distant immersive experience at the historic 1927 Ruth Page Center for the Arts located in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. Guests of Visions, in limited size groups, will be whisked away for an experience like no other as “The Nutcracker” comes to life across five floors! Suspend reality and join the Stahlbaum’s at their holiday gathering. Experience Clara’s dreams of sugar plums, rogue bon bons, impish peppermints, and a battle with the Mouse King. Peek into the Land of Snow and Kingdom of Sweets to see the Sugar Plum Fairy dance with her prince. Experience The Ruth Page Center transformed into an immersive and stunning holiday spectacle. Visions: A Nutcracker Experience gives everyone a chance to see The Ruth Page Center for the Arts as never before and an opportunity to celebrate the season in a whole new way.
About The Ruth Page Center for the Arts
An incubator of artistic energy and at the center of Chicago's dance history, The Ruth Page Center for the Arts carries forward the mission and vision of its founder, international dance icon Ruth Page, to be a platform for developing great artists and connecting them with audiences and community. With a primary focus on dance as a critical art form, its programming ensures that children and dance artists have a place to train, work and perform at the highest level of excellence. Under the aegis of The Ruth Page Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity, The Ruth Page Center has since 1971 committed its resources to a unique combination of artistic programs that impact over 40,000 children and adults annually. These programs fall within three key areas: nurturing artistic and organizational growth; promoting dance as a critical art form; and developing the next generation of professional dance artists. There is no other organization like it in Chicago housed within a single entity with this history, commitment and depth.
Believing strongly that the potential for being an artist is within every child and every adult, regardless of where you come from, The Center understands the great deficit in the access to quality, transformative dance education, and commits time, energy and resources to programs that reach beyond its zip code. Creativity is universal, and The Center’s programs and activities are geared to providing the best possible environment for successfully unlocking that potential at multiple touch points.
"Winter Spectacular: From Our Home to Yours" has been generously sponsored by SCM Globe, Venetia Stifler and HMS Media.
Additional program and general operating support provided by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, The John Buck Company Foundation, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Wintrust, Lynn Ferszt Kravis Trust, Eugene and Sasha Jarvis Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, Martha and Donald Farley Foundation, Arts Work Fund/ Arts for Illinois Relief Fund, and countless individuals and supporters.
For more information about The Ruth Page Center for the Arts and its programs visit www.RuthPage.org.