Between November 15 and December 20, 2026, four ballet companies will each put on The Nutcracker at The Norris Theatre, 27570 Norris Center Drive in Rolling Hills Estates. They're four separate productions. One is narrated for children seeing their first ballet. One puts more than 100 local dancers on stage. One is a highlights program, and one is in its 46th year with international guest artists. The four companies also set different ages for a child ticket, so the same family can pay very different prices depending on which weekend it picks.
Because of that, the age of the youngest person in your party is the best place to start choosing. The Norris house rules require a ticket for every child regardless of age and don't allow infants on laps. Every seat also carries a $10 facility fee.
The season at a glance
| Date | Company | Format | Standard ticket | Child ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 15, 2:30 p.m. | Ballet des Petites Étoiles | Full-length, narrated | $35 | $18, ages 17 and under |
| Nov. 19 to 22, six shows | Peninsula School of Performing Arts | Full-length, 100+ dancers | $40 | $30, ages 17 and under |
| Nov. 29, 4 p.m. | Classical Ballet Theatre | Highlights program | $25 | $18, ages 11 and under |
| Dec. 19 to 20, three shows | Palos Verdes Ballet | 46th year, guest artists | $49 | $38, ages 10 and under |
The $10 facility fee applies to every ticket on top of these prices. None of the four ticket pages lists a senior price.
A three-year-old's first ballet: Ballet des Petites Étoiles, Nov. 15
The Ballet des Petites Étoiles production is the only one of the four billed for young children and first-time ballet audiences. It's narrated from start to finish, so a child who can't yet follow the story through dance alone hears it told while it happens. The cast runs from age three through adulthood, with guest professional dancers from Los Angeles Ballet.
There's one performance, a Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. on November 15. With lap seating not allowed, a toddler's seat costs $18 plus the $10 fee, or $28 all in. Two adults and two children 17 or younger come to $146 including fees.
A school-age child with friends on stage: PSPA, Nov. 19 to 22
The next weekend brings the largest local cast of the season. The Peninsula School of Performing Arts Nutcracker is a semi-professional production with more than 100 local children, adults and award-winning young dancers. Tita Boulger and Vera Ninkovic direct, and Riah Chen, Elodie Paterson and Gia Chung share the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Boulger is PSPA's founder and director, and the school has studios in Lunada Bay and at Peninsula Center. With that many dancers from those two studios, plenty of families in the audience will know someone on stage.
The run also offers the most choice of times:
- Thursday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 22, at noon and 4 p.m.
It's also the only one of the four that publishes a running time. The show lasts 2 hours and 10 minutes, with a 20-minute intermission about 50 minutes in. That first stretch of about 50 minutes is a useful test for a six- or seven-year-old. Tickets are $40 standard and $30 for ages 17 and under, so the same family of four pays $180 with fees.
The tween who is between prices: Classical Ballet Theatre, Nov. 29
The Sunday after Thanksgiving, Classical Ballet Theatre's "Festive Celebration: Nutcracker Highlights" offers the season's shortest commitment. It's billed as highlights from The Nutcracker and isn't presented as the full ballet. Children and teen ballerinas perform, and the Leigh Purtill Ballet Company dances the Waltz of the Snowflakes. The company's studio is at 2800 Skypark Drive in Torrance, and Kotomi Matsuda is its artistic director.
This show has the lowest prices of the season. Adults pay $25, children 11 and under pay $18, and groups of five or more can buy adult tickets at $20 each. The age cutoff is the catch. A 12-year-old pays the child rate at the two November shows, where it covers ages 17 and under, but pays the adult rate here. Even so, two adults with a 12-year-old and an 8-year-old pay $133 with fees, still the lowest total of the four. If you're bringing a group of five or more, the $20 adult rate makes this the easiest show to take a crowd to.
The extended-family outing: Palos Verdes Ballet, Dec. 19 and 20
The season closes the weekend before Christmas with the Palos Verdes Ballet's 46th Nutcracker. The company's Pre-Professional Division dances alongside international guest artists in a production the company describes as "professional-caliber." Performances are December 19 at 7 p.m. and December 20 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. The company is based a short walk from the theater, at 26 Peninsula Center, Suite A, and Palos Verdes Ballet lists Sae Rom Lee Strickland as its director.
It's the most expensive ticket of the season and has the narrowest child discount. Standard seats are $49, and the $38 child price covers only ages 10 and under. Two adults with children aged 8 and 12 pay $225 with fees, $92 more than the Classical Ballet Theatre total for the same four people. The company does take 7% off the ticket price for groups of 10 or more, which helps when grandparents, cousins and visiting family come along together.
Those visiting grandparents are also the reason to read the seating note on the ticket page. The Norris balcony has no elevator, and balcony seats are reached by stairs. For anyone who has trouble with stairs, a main-floor seat is worth choosing at checkout.
The house rules apply to every company
All four companies rent the theater, so the Norris house rules govern every performance. A few of them change how the day is planned:
- The theater and box office are cashless. Most major credit cards are accepted, but Discover isn't.
- Tickets are non-refundable.
- Lobby doors open about 45 minutes before the show, and the theater asks patrons to arrive at least 30 minutes before curtain. Latecomers are seated when the house staff decides it's a suitable time.
- No outside food or drink is allowed.
- Photography and video are prohibited, including on smartphones. That applies to proud relatives too.
- Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
The no-photography rule matters most at the PSPA and Petites Étoiles shows, where many people in the audience came to watch one particular dancer.
Getting there and picking up tickets
Parking is free in the Promenade parking structure next to the theater. You can enter the driveway from Norris Center Drive or the upper level from Indian Peak Road. Parking in the Target shopping center lot isn't permitted. On the four-show PSPA weekend especially, the upper-level entrance off Indian Peak Road gives you a second way in.
The box office is open Tuesday through Thursday from 1 to 5 p.m. at 310-544-0403, extension 221. Will-call opens one hour before each performance and closes 30 minutes after the listed start time. Because the box office keeps weekday hours only, questions about seating for a weekend matinee are easiest to settle by Thursday afternoon.
The theater has two other holiday programs in the same weeks. PVPA's Conservatory Performing Groups present "Home Sweet Home" on Friday, December 4, at 7:30 p.m., and "Top of the World: A Carpenters Tribute at the Holidays" plays Saturday, December 5, at 3 p.m. The following Saturday, December 12, the City of Rolling Hills Estates holds the Peninsula Parade of Lights from 6 to 8 p.m. The route starts at Silver Spur Road and Drybank Drive and ends at Norris Center Drive, just outside the theater. Free parking is available at Town & Country Center, Peninsula Shopping Center and Promenade PV.
If you're hosting family on the Peninsula this season and want help planning around grandparents, little ones, or a move that's coming up in the new year, Patrice Meepos and her team are glad to talk it through calmly, at whatever pace suits you. Work With Patrice.
