Dancers busy rehearsing for Woodlawn Arts Academy’s upcoming production of The Nutcracker Ballet. Pictured (l-r) are Maddey Oyen as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Giuliana Messer as Drosselmeyer, Michaela Brown as Clara, Leo Uresti as The Nutcracker, Sophie Potthoff as the Snow Queen and Ronni Oyen as the Rat King
STERLING, ILLINOIS (October 25, 2026) Woodlawn Arts Academy invites the community to kick off the 2026 holiday season with three live performances of The Nutcracker Ballet. The ballet will be performed at 2PM and 7PM, Saturday, November 21, and at 2PM, Sunday, November 22, at Centennial Auditorium, Sterling High School.
Tickets are $15 each and on sale now at centennialauditorium.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the door. A processing fee will be applied to all debit and credit card ticket purchases.
The holiday kick-off performances are a fundraiser event for Woodlawn Arts Academy, a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization. The two-act production casts more than seventy dancers and actors age six through adult from Sterling, Rock Falls, Dixon, Chadwick, Galt, Harmon, Lanark, Lyndon, Milledgeville, Morrison, Shannon, Tampico, Walnut, and Wyanet.
“Planning and preparations are well under way for our upcoming production of the classic holiday ballet The Nutcracker!” said Woodlawn Executive Director Christy Zepezauer.
“Our 2016, 2018, 2021, and 2024 productions of the ballet offered an incredible, unique experience to the participants and the community, and we are excited to bring this show back to the stage for a fifth run.”
Zepezauer and the team of directors are proud of the cast for their hard work, which started over the summer with a week-long Nutcracker Dance Camp. Campers learned much of the choreography and took part in related activities during the camp. Since August, they’ve been meeting every other week for rehearsals to refine the dances.
“We encourage everyone to attend our upcoming production and be a part of The Nutcracker magic,” Zepezauer said.
“What a great way to kick off the holiday season and support the arts locally!”
Woodlawn Arts Academy is an agency of United Way of Whiteside and Lee Counties. Woodlawn Arts Academy acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council. Registration is available throughout the year for various programs. Visit woodlawnartsacademy.com/ for details on programs and financial assistance.
