Local performing arts organizations are taking special safety precautions when offering live music and theatrical performances this month. Many holiday concerts, like Texas Ballet Theater’s Nutcracker, will be offered online only. While not a comprehensive listing, these upcoming performances are a great place to start your holiday entertainment journey.
Ballet Concerto Presents A Holiday Special
Ballet Concerto is presenting a shortened version of A Holiday Special (typically performed at Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium) at BalletConcerto.com/a-holiday-special. This year’s show at 2pm on Saturday includes a variety of singers and dancers who will perform holiday favorites while socially distancing. Flamenco dancer Margarita Bruce will reenact scenes from the ancient story of Hanukkah through dance, and a small cast of ballet dancers (choreographed by Margo Dean) will bring the Nativity and other popular Christmas scenes to life.
Circle Theatre Presents Holiday Punch Party
The annual Holiday Punch Party has gone online but promises to be just as full of good cheer, humor, and brilliant acting as in past years. Virtual attendees can hear their favorite local artists perform new monologues that were commissioned by Circle Theatre patrons. The centerpiece of the livestreamed event will be a new video featuring Circle Theatre actors and directors. A live auction, prize drawings, a wine pull, and “surprises” from the nonprofit’s staff round out the evening festivities.
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Performs Sounds of the Season
The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra is one of the few professional orchestras performing in-person concerts this year. Several concerts this fall were held at Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium and featured a smaller, socially distanced ensemble. There are two dates this month to catch the FWSO’s brass and percussion section as they perform Sounds of the Season, a live concert of popular Christmas and holiday tunes. The FWSO’s brass section, led by Nikolette LaBonte (french horn), Kyle Sherman (trumpet), and Joseph Dubas (trombone), are in top form and ready to lead your family through a pitch-perfect holiday journey.
Holiday in the Garden
Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT), Fort Worth Opera, and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden present Holiday in the Garden (FWBG.org/events/holiday) later this month. The daylong event includes a Holiday Sip and Shop (food trucks, live music, artisan market), Santa in the Garden (socially distanced photos), Holiday Tea (three courses of light bites and tea pairings), and Opera in the Garden (featuring socially distanced performances of arias, duets, and holiday songs by Fort Worth Opera’s Lesley Resident Artists).
Stage West Theatre Presents The Naughty List
Performed outdoors on the beautiful and expansive Texas Wesleyan University mall, The Naughty List is a coming-of-age story told through holiday icons (frosty Jack, Krampus, and Kris Kringle, among others). The Stage West production follows the story of a young Santa Claus who is working with a friend to put the finishing touches on the Naughty and Nice lists when a mysterious name unexpectedly shows up on one of the lists and launches an effort to save Christmas. The Naughty List is offered in person and online.
Texas Ballet Theater Presents The Nutcracker and The Nutty Nutcracker
Texas Ballet Theater’s uber-popular Nutcracker performances are bowing out for a year for public safety reasons, but the resident ballet company of both Fort Worth and Dallas is selling tickets for a virtual performance of the beloved Tchaikovsky ballet. The online concert features a video of TBT’s 2012 Nutcracker concert — choreographed by TBT artistic director Ben Stevenson — and the release of a new, shortened Nutty Nutcracker that parodies the events of this past year. Teachers can contact TBT (community@texasballet.org) for information about classroom streaming options.
This version has been updated on 12/9/20.
