Section 6: Stage Magic

As both the set designer and the lighting designer for the 1964 production, Rouben Ter-Arutunian was the magician behind the scenes who figured out how to make a tree grow, how to create a snowstorm, and how to make a sleigh fly. His endless technical drawings and artistic sketches demonstrate just how much love and care went into his contribution to George Balanchine’s The NutcrackerⓇ, and the set models lovingly recreate the fantasy world that he brought to life for audiences each holiday season.