Birmingham Royal Ballet will for the first time ever broadcast a performance of The Nutcracker to a global online audience this Christmas through the power of TicketCo Media Services live streaming facility.
The charity, which this year celebrates the 30th anniversary of its move to Birmingham and the first performance of Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker, will perform a spectacular 90-minute show, created especially for Birmingham’s Repertory Theatre, with live music performed by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
In line with the Government’s current guidelines concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s The Nutcracker will be the first ever to take place behind closed doors. Consequently, viewers have the option to tune into the show from the comfort of their own home via TicketCo Media Services.
A live stream performance will be delivered on Friday, December 18, from 7.30pm with an on-demand version published a day later and made available for a week in the build up to Christmas.
Birmingham Royal Ballet took the decision to broadcast this year’s The Nutcracker online via TicketCo Media Services following the on-demand success of its autumn show Lazuli Sky that attracted thousands of online viewers from the UK and across the world.
By partnering with TicketCo Media Services, Birmingham Royal Ballet hand the delivery of ticketing, live online broadcasting and video on demand to the cloud-based event payment and media services company who supply customers with a smooth online experience.
Paul James, Chief Commercial Officer at Birmingham Royal Ballet, said: “While we are sad that we cannot welcome members of the public through The Rep’s doors this Christmas, we are excited to present two opportunities so people can watch this year’s The Nutcracker at The Rep online from the comfort of their own home.
“It’s been an unprecedented year for Birmingham Royal Ballet. We were fortunate enough to deliver almost all of the spring’s tour of Sir Peter Wright’s Swan Lake, but our plans like all of our colleagues in the performing arts, had to be put on hold for the summer and autumn tours. In October, we were delighted to be able to perform to socially distanced audiences in London and Birmingham with an extraordinary triple bill called Lazuli Sky, which was then made available to a wider audience by our first partnership with TicketCo Media Services.
“We were impressed with the capabilities of TicketCo Media Services’ simplistic technology during our performances of Lazuli Sky and now look forward to delivering our first live stream performance of The Nutcracker on Friday.”
Tickets for this year’s digital Nutcracker are priced £15 for both the live stream and on-demand options, though households have the choice to pay £20 or £25 to support Birmingham Royal Ballet’s work if they wish.
Customers that choose to purchase the on-demand version will be able to access the performance from 7.30pm on Saturday, December 19, where it will be available until midnight on Christmas Eve.
To purchase your live stream ticket, visit: The Nutcracker at The REP – livestream (ticketco.events).
To purchase an on-demand ticket, visit: The Nutcracker at The REP – on demand (ticketco.events).
