Marius Petipa

THE NUTCRACKER

İstanbul State Opera and Ballet
25-29-30 December 2025 / 14-15-22-24-28-29 January 2026 / 12-14-19 February 2026
Ballet

The story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," written by German author E.T.A. Hoffmann in 1816 and based on similar folk tales from various countries, was adapted and translated by French writer Alexandre Dumas (père) in 1844. Dumas softened the gloomy atmosphere of the original story, transforming it into a fairytale. The Nutcracker ballet, created through the collaboration of Tchaikovsky and Petipa, is a magical tale centered around the dreams of a young German girl, Clara Stahlbaum, involving the nutcracker toy she receives as a Christmas gift. It has become a beloved holiday classic.

The Nutcracker, which has garnered great acclaim from art enthusiasts, continues to captivate audiences in the 2024-2025 art season!

Direction And Choreography: Mehmet Balkan (After M. Petipa - L. Ivanov)
Conductor: İbrahim Yazıcı / Zdravko Lazarov
Stage Direction: Lale Balkan
Set Design: Tayfun Çebi
Costume Design: Sevtaç Demirer
Lighting Design: Taner Aydın
Video Production: Ahmet Şeren

İstanbul State Opera and Ballet Orchestra
İstanbul State Opera and Ballet Children's Ballet

Event Rules

Detailed information regarding ticket purchase, cancellation, refund, and exchange policies can be found through official ticket sales channels.
For events where student discounts are applicable, student tickets are valid only with a valid student ID and can be purchased from the AKM Box Office. The student ID must be presented to the event staff on the day of the event.
For events cancelled by Atatürk Cultural Center, the refund application period for tickets purchased from the box office is 15 days from the date of cancellation. Within this period, audience members must submit their refund requests at the AKM Box Office.
Age restrictions for our events are specified in the event rules. All attendees are required to have a valid ticket.
For Children’s Art Center workshops, the age group is specified separately. Guests whose ages do not fall within the indicated range will not be permitted to enter the workshop area. Tickets purchased for these workshops are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
AKM Management reserves the right to deny entry to individuals deemed unsuitable for the event, in which case a refund will be issued.
AKM reserves the right to make changes to its ticket purchase policies.

AKM reserves the right to change the event venue and time.
Guests are required to adhere to the specified seating arrangement. No seat changes are allowed during the event.
After the event starts, no audience member will be allowed into the hall.
The age group for the Children’s Art Centre workshops is specified separately. Guests who do not meet the specified age requirement for the event are not allowed to enter the workshop area. Purchased tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable.
Recording with cameras, photo cameras, mobile phones, etc. is prohibited during the concert. Recording devices will not be allowed in the venues.
You must be ready with your ticket at the event entrance at least 1 hour before the event start time.
AKM can make changes to event venues. The AKM management will prepare a seating plan that provides our audience with the closest seats to their ticket numbers in the new venue. Purchased tickets are non-refundable due to the change of venue.
It is prohibited to enter areas outside the designated spaces in the venues with food or beverages, to consume tobacco and tobacco products, or to use electronic cigarettes.
There is a paid parking lot inside AKM.

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