"The Nutcracker," the beloved holiday tradition, has sold out for 11 performances at the Stevens Center in downtown Winston-Salem. But fans of the timeless classical ballet can experience the magic from the comfort of their own homes by purchasing access to an on-demand film of this year's live stage production, shot before a live audience.

The UNCSA production of "The Nutcracker" would not be possible without talented and dedicated students, faculty and staff that work for months to bring this classic tale to life. Read some of their treasured memories and what they are most looking forward to this year.

Behind every scene change, lighting cue and big reveal is a stage manager making sure it all goes according to plan. For this year's annual performance of "The Nutcracker," fourth year stage management student Ashley Pennington is serving as the production stage manager, a role that she has trained for three years to have.

Ilya Kozadayev has spent his entire life immersed in the world of ballet. Recently, he has taken up the role of choreographer and director for the annual production of "The Nutcracker," a UNCSA tradition that dates back to 1966 and one of the biggest scholarship fundraisers of the year.

Tickets are on sale for "The Nutcracker," with 11 live performances at the historic Stevens Center in downtown Winston-Salem, Dec. 10-19, and the "Nutcracker On-Demand Experience" available beginning Dec. 20. The performance times offer family-friendly scheduling and there's also a chance to win free tickets with "The Nutcracker" Social Media Dance Challenge.

The all-new cinematic production of "The Nutcracker" has been viewed more than 116,000 times worldwide to date and raised $230,394 in net funds for student scholarships.

The reimagined production was conceived and created safely for the COVID-19 era by the schools of Dance, Filmmaking, Music and Design & Production.

In addition to UNC-TV, the film will also be shown in special presentation at RED Cinemas in Greensboro.