For its first projection redesign in a decade, the Joffrey Ballet is drawing on the visual record of Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair. When “The Nutcracker” returns to the Lyric Opera House Dec. 4-27, designer Daniel Brodie’s new imagery will use material such as period photographs, posters and ticket stubs. The Chicago-set production debuted in 2016.
The Joffrey says the story begins on Christmas Eve in 1892, as workers race to finish the World’s Columbian Exposition, set to open five months later. Marie then imagines wandering the fairgrounds, traveling by gondola to the edge of a lake and moving among pavilions, according to Block Club Chicago and the Joffrey Ballet.
Building the Fair From Archival Scraps
The design process began with archival research. Brodie spent the year consulting collections at institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Library of Congress and the Chicago Public Library, Block Club Chicago reports. Period photographs of the fair’s Ferris Wheel—the first of its kind—helped him build a 3D model that anchors the projected imagery. The new work also draws on fair-era posters and ticket stubs.
The pavilions in Marie’s dream reference images of the actual 1893 fairgrounds. That historical setting is also part of the production’s character story: Marie is the daughter of a sculptor, and WTTW’s earlier coverage of the Joffrey staging describes her mother as working on the fair’s iconic golden statue. In the ballet’s framing, a character called the Great Impresario creates the fair and gives Marie her nutcracker.
A Decade of Waiting for Better Technology
The redesign also reflects advances in projection equipment and image quality since the previous overhaul. Joffrey artistic director Ashley Wheater told Block Club Chicago, “So much has changed in terms of strength of projectors and … content now is at a much higher quality.” Wheater became artistic director before helping develop the Chicago-set production with choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and writer Brian Selznick; he reportedly shared books on World’s Fair history with them.
Wheeldon reimagined the Joffrey’s Chicago staging as his only production of “The Nutcracker,” while Selznick wrote the underlying story. Wheater has also said that most of the sculpture produced for the actual 1893 World’s Fair was made by women, a detail reflected in the portrayal of Marie’s sculptor mother. He has encouraged Chicagoans to see the reworked staging this season.
How the Projections Have Evolved
The Joffrey’s earlier projection design was credited to U.K.-based 59 Productions, according to a 2019 review from WTTW. A 2025 review from Gramilano described animated imagery timed to the moment the Christmas tree grows to “gargantuan proportions” onstage. Brodie has worked as a projection designer for more than 20 years, with credits including the Broadway shows “The Wiz,” “Aladdin” and “Motown.” He has said that, despite adjustments for the stage, the new material remains grounded in archival research.
A Different Scenic Approach
Other companies’ descriptions of “The Nutcracker” show that classic productions can take different visual routes. Boston Ballet describes its Mikko Nissinen production as featuring grand, hand-painted sets and more than 350 costumes, crafted in Massachusetts and designed by Robert Perdziola—a contrast with the Joffrey’s new projection work, according to Boston Ballet.
The Joffrey's “The Nutcracker” runs Dec. 4-27 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, giving Chicagoans a monthlong window to see the rebuilt World's Fair brought to life in light and projection above the familiar Christmas Eve story.
