Pähklipureja ehk Imeline jõuluöö

The Nutcracker - A Miraculous Christmas Eve
/Pähklipureja ehk Imeline jõuluöö/
A ballet in two acts

Composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Director, choreographer and costume designer Mare Tommingas
Musical director Martin Sildos
Conductor Taavi Kull or Aleksandr Bražnik
Scenographer Kristjan Suits (Tallinn City Theatre)
Video designer Taavi Varm
Lighting designer Margus Vaigur (Endla)
Director’s assistant Jelena Karpova
Cast Vanemuine ballet company and the students of the Vanemuine Dance and Ballet School
Vanemuine symphony orchestra and students of the Tartu Karlova School Choir


It is Christmas Eve at the Stahlbaums’ house. Important guests and their children have been invited, servants and cooks are bustling about, the atmosphere is festive and the adults are having fun. Mrs Stahlbaum’s wheelchaired daughter Maria keeps close to the Christmas tree with the other children, brimming with excitement. The doll maker Drosselmeyer arrives along with his apprentice Matthias.

In Maria’s confined world, the only joy she has are the wonderful dolls and inventions of Drosselmeyer. The dream that she could run and play like other children is as unattainable as the star high on top of the Christmas tree…

This is director and choreographer Mare Tommingas’ second production of The Nutcracker – she brought the first one on stage in 1994. This version largely remains true to her first libretto but boasts a magnificent set design, fantastic costumes and new relationships.

The Nutcracker is one of the most legendary ballets, welcoming audiences across the world during Christmas time already since 1892. This is the fifth premiere of the Nutcracker at the Vanemuine Theatre.

There might be more truth in a fairytale than in life itself, and life may be a fairytale as well. Even the impossible can happen if you believe in it and if you’re lucky to go along with someone.
- director Mare Tommingas

Premiere on 26 November 2022 at the Grand Building of the Vanemuine Theatre.