(NEW HOPE, PA) -- Roxey Ballet, the region's professional contemporary theater-ballet company, is now holding auditions on Saturday, September 12, 2026 for its 31st anniversary professional production of The Nutcracker, the beloved holiday classic set to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's epic score. This milestone season marks a triumphant return to The College of New Jersey's Kendall Hall Main Stage Theater in Ewing, where the two-act production will unfold on one of the region's premier professional stages.
Dancers of all levels are invited to audition for a cast of over 100 performers, joining professional company artists on stage in a production built and staged with the scale, detail, and artistry of a full professional theatrical run. From dancing snowflakes and waltzing flowers to giant rats and the enigmatic Drosselmeyer, this year's Nutcracker brings the full sweep of the classic story to life for audiences across Mercer, Hunterdon, Somerset, Ocean, and Bucks counties.
The production is directed and created by Mark and Melissa Roxey, Founders of Roxey Ballet and The Mill Ballet School, and staged by Mirabel Roxey. Together, they lead a creative team dedicated to giving every dancer in the cast — from young students to seasoned professionals — genuine professional stage direction experience inside a full-scale theatrical production.
“This isn’t just an audition, it’s an invitation to be part of something bigger,” said Mark Roxey, Founder and Artistic Director of Roxey Ballet. “Our dancers get to work alongside professional artists, learn real stage direction, and help carry thirty-one years of Nutcracker tradition onto one of the finest stages in the region.”
Beyond the performance opportunity, cast members gain hands-on experience in professional stage direction, choreography, characterization, and the discipline of a full theatrical production, all under the mentorship of Roxey Ballet's artistic leadership.
Audition Details
Date: Saturday, September 12
Location: The Mill Ballet School, 46 N. Sugan Road, New Hope, PA
Contact: Mark Roxey, Artistic Director — [email protected]
More information: roxeyballet.org/auditions
Performance Details
Venue: TCNJ's Kendall Hall Main Stage Theater, 2000 Pennington Road, Ewing, NJ 08628
Performances: Opening Thanksgiving weekend, November 28–29, and continuing December 4, 5, and 6
Founded by Mark and Melissa Roxey, Roxey Ballet is a professional contemporary theater-ballet company based in Frenchtown/Lambertville, NJ, dedicated to redefining what it means to be a professional artist in the 21st century. Roxey Ballet performs and hosts events throughout the year and partners with The Mill Ballet School to train and develop dancers across the New Jersey and Pennsylvania region.
