The Magic Returns Home: San Pedro City Ballet’s “Nutcracker” to Inaugurate the Restored Warner Grand Theatre
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Gabbi Herrera, Studio Director
(424) 477-7738 | gabbi@sanpedrocityballet.org | www.sanpedrocityballet.org
SAN PEDRO, Calif. - San Pedro City Ballet will present its annual production of The Nutcracker at the newly restored Warner Grand Theatre. The production will be the inaugural performance celebrating the reopening of the historic venue. After nearly 2 years of renovations to save a part of San Pedro’s history, San Pedro City Ballet is honored to be one of the premiere performances at the Warner Grand after its grand unveiling.
This year's production will feature magic, special effects, and vibrant choreography as performed by 150 dancers ages 4 through adult from the South Bay community. Audiences of all ages will experience the joy of the holidays and live theater back again in their own hometown.
San Pedro City Ballet’s most well-known former student is Misty Copeland, the first African American principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre in New York. Discovered at a community outreach program, Misty's incredible talent was initially nurtured and developed at San Pedro City Ballet with Misty herself performing as Clara in The Nutcracker. Misty remains grateful for the opportunities she has been given and continues to give back to her hometown of San Pedro. In 2015 Misty returned to San Pedro to teach a Master Class to students on the stage of the historic Warner Grand Theatre itself.
"This program changed the trajectory of my life. Because of San Pedro City Ballet’s mission of bringing ballet to the Los Angeles community, I was trained in four short years to go on to dance with American Ballet Theatre in New York City, America’s National Ballet Company,” said Misty Copeland.
Community outreach is still an important pillar of San Pedro City Ballet’s mission today. For more than 30 seasons, San Pedro City Ballet has upheld a cherished tradition of offering special free and discounted outreach tickets for Title I LAUSD schools, and the return to the Warner Grand Theatre will make the experience even more accessible and magical for those students this year. Over the weekend, hundreds of local schoolchildren will experience The Nutcracker—many for the very first time—through this deeply impactful outreach program. Proceeds from the The Nutcracker support all of San Pedro City Ballet’s programs, including in-school dance workshops and dance assemblies plus scholarships for dance classes through the Firebird Dance Program, named in honor of Misty Copeland and her first major principal role.
"The proceeds of this event, along with fundraising, help us tremendously in our efforts to expand our community outreach to impact even more students who wouldn’t experience the joy of dance otherwise. The point is to make dance available to all and to find more Misty Copelands waiting for someone to believe in them and open doors for the future,” said Cindy Bradley, Artistic Director of San Pedro City Ballet.
The presentation marks the 20th season of San Pedro City Ballet’s The Nutcracker at the Warner Grand Theatre out of the show’s more than 30 year history, and the first performance at the Warner Grand Theatre after renovation. The Warner Grand Theatre opened on January 20, 1931, as a first-run movie house for Warner Bros., with the city of Los Angeles later purchasing the property to preserve it as a historical landmark. The recent restoration efforts include essential upgrades: ADA accessibility, a new elevator, earthquake retrofitting, plumbing and electrical upgrades, and historically influenced flooring and paint restoration.
"Although we were fortunate to be able to continue our Nutcracker performances at other theatres in the South Bay during renovations of the Warner Grand Theatre, there is nothing more special than returning home. The excitement is felt throughout the entire studio and at every rehearsal,” said Cindy Bradley, Artistic Director of San Pedro City Ballet.
The Warner Grand Theatre is owned by the City of Los Angeles and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs with the support of the local nonprofit Grand Vision Foundation. San Pedro City Ballet’s community outreach performances of The Nutcracker are made possible with the support of our donors, including the Crail-Johnson Foundation, Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Councilmember Tim McOsker, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Port of Los Angeles.
"Reopening the doors of the Warner Grand Theatre in time for the holiday season has been my commitment since these renovations began, and I can’t think of a better way to welcome our community back than with San Pedro City Ballet’s The Nutcracker," said Councilmember Tim McOsker. "I can’t wait to see the iconic characters and dances on the Warner Grand stage once again as we welcome families back for this cherished holiday tradition, " said Tim McOsker, Los Angeles City Councilmember, District 15
Tickets are on sale now and range from $45-$58. A limited number of VIP tickets are available for purchase for opening night for $150. VIP tickets include premium seating and an invitation to a VIP Nutcracker reception after the performance. For tickets and complete performance information, visit sanpedrocityballet.org or call (310) 732-1861.
About San Pedro City Ballet
Founded in 1994 by artistic directors Cynthia and Patrick Bradley, San Pedro City Ballet is a nonprofit performing company dedicated to bringing classical ballet to audiences throughout San Pedro, the Los Angeles Harbor area and the South Bay. The company provides young dancers with pre-professional training and performance opportunities, while making ballet accessible to the wider community through productions and outreach programs. San Pedro City Ballet presents its acclaimed production of The Nutcracker each year, featuring local dancers alongside home-grown professional guest artists. The company is also renowned for discovering and training Misty Copeland, who went on to make history as American Ballet Theatre's first Black female principal dancer.
The historic Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro will reopen this December following major renovations, with the San Pedro City Ballet performing The Nutcracker from December 11–13 as the venue's first back-on-stage production.
Reopening Schedule
December 9: The Grand Vision Foundation hosts a special sneak peek inside the renovated theater.
December 12–14: San Pedro City Ballet performs The Nutcracker, marking the official return of live performances. [1]
According to Grand Annex Music Hall & Grand Vision Foundation on Instagram, “December 11-13 - San Pedro City Ballet's beloved Nutcracker will become the first performance back on the Warner Grand stage.”
Renovation Details