GILLIAN BRITT 207-767-6488

gBritt P.R. & Marketing

VANNESSA BEYLAND/LESLIE GIBBONS 207-772-9671

Portland Ballet

THE VICTORIAN NUTCRACKER DECEMBER 4 AND 5 AT MERRILL AUDITORIUM

NOVEMBER 28 AT SCHAEFFER THEATRE, BATES COLLEGE, LEWISTON

PORTLAND, ME – The Portland Ballet presents “The Victorian Nutcracker,” the company’s unique version of the traditional Christmas tale of sugarplums and fantasy, in late November and early December. Performances are scheduled for Sunday, November 28 at 2 p.m. at the Schaeffer Theatre, Bates College in Lewiston and in Portland’s Merrill Auditorium on Saturday, December 4 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 5 at 2 p.m.

With breathtaking sets and costumes, the sounds of the Portland Ballet Orchestra and the Victorian Festival Singers, this annual performance of “The Victorian Nutcracker” transports audiences to Victorian era Portland. Set in Portland’s landmark Victoria Mansion, the characters in this version of the Nutcracker include well-known Portland figures. Mayor James Phinney Baxter (seen as America’s first philanthropist/environmentalist), Ruggles Morse (the man who built the Victoria Mansion), J.B. Brown (known for his sugar refinery in Portland), and Hermann Kotzschmar (yes, the one the organ at Merrill Auditorium is named for) all take to the stage in this ballet.

Tickets for the Schaeffer Theatre performance in Lewiston are $14-18 and are available through Bull Moose Music and at the door the day of the performance. The performances at the Merrill Auditorium are $15-45 each and are available through PortTix, 842-0800 or by stopping in at the PortTix box office on Myrtle St. between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday after October 1.

# # #