Los Angeles, CA – [December 3, 2025] – Los Angeles Ballet (LAB) is pleased to announce the addition of a sensory-friendly performance of The Nutcracker, on December 26 at 2:00 pm at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. This performance is specially adapted to create a more comfortable and accessible environment for individuals with autism, sensory sensitivities, or other cognitive or social challenges, and their families. The relaxed performance of The Nutcracker marks the first of its kind at Dolby Theatre.
To prepare for the relaxed performance, LAB has partnered with Autism Society Los Angeles on making adjustments to the performance, providing a positive guest experience, and training LAB Company members and guest-facing staff at Dolby Theatre.
“This relaxed performance is an example of LAB’s mission to make attending the ballet a welcoming and enjoyable experience for all and it allows us to open the doors to guests who may find a traditional theater setting overwhelming,” said Julia Rivera, Los Angeles Ballet Executive Director. “We are grateful for the guidance and mentorship of Autism Society Los Angeles and for the professional team at Dolby Theatre who have helped us to create a performance experience that all families can include in their own holiday traditions.”
Kim Sinclair, Executive Director of Autism Society Los Angeles said, “We are very excited to partner with Los Angeles Ballet on a sensory-friendly experience.” She added, “This helps remove barriers and allows autistic individuals and their families to participate in everyday community activities, fostering meaningful connection.”
LAB’s relaxed performance is generously supported by The Johnny Carson Foundation and Dolby Theatre.
Guests of the relaxed performance will be free to vocalize in response to the performance and to come and go as necessary during the performance. The relaxed performance will include a variety of modifications to the live theatrical experience:
Adjusted sensory elements: Sound levels are lowered, and strobe and flashing lights are reduced or eliminated.
Relaxed house rules: Guests are free to talk, move, or leave their seats as needed during the performance. Guests are encouraged to bring sensory soothing items such as tablets, fidget objects and noise-reducing headphones.
Adjusted house lights: The house lights remain on at a low level throughout the performance.
Pre-performance preparation: The Nutcracker Social Story is a detailed guide to help guests plan their experience from arrival to departure and is available for download from losangelesballet.org.
Dedicated support: Quiet areas are available for those who need a break, and staff experienced in assisting individuals with sensory needs will be on hand.
Seating: Every other row of Dolby Theatre will be left open to allow for guests to move more freely without disturbing other guests.
Quiet space: The lobbies and other designated areas will be available throughout the performance to serve as safe, quiet spaces.
Social Story guide
LAB has developed a Social Story guide for guests of the sensory friendly production. The Social Story will help individuals understand social expectations and navigate the theater experience by breaking it down into simple, clear steps. For The Nutcracker, LAB breaks down the experience from entering the parking garage, getting tickets, going through security, finding seats, identifying safe areas, and includes special hints on how to best enjoy both the live music and the dancing. The guide is available for download at losangelesballet.org/2025-2026-season/the-nutcracker/sensory-friendly
Power of Performance
LAB provides 10% of performance tickets free of charge to Los Angeles County community partner organizations that provide services and support to underserved communities all across the County. POP tickets for the relaxed performance will be increased to encourage organizations that support residents with sensory sensitivities to become POP Partners as part of LAB’s effort to make the relaxed performance as accessible as possible. To learn how to become a POP partner, visit losangelesballet.org/power-of-performance.
Tickets for the relaxed performance can be purchased online or by calling the LAB box office at (310) 998-7782, Mon-Fri, 12pm-5pm.
Standard Tickets: $45.00 – $138.00
Discounts are available on standard ticket prices for students, children 12 and under, seniors 65+, educators, first responders, veterans and active duty servicemembers. Special Group Rates are also available.
For more information on what to expect at the sensory-friendly performance and to download the Social Story guide, visit losangelesballet.org/2025-2026-season/the-nutcracker/sensory-friendly
About Los Angeles Ballet
For 20 years, Los Angeles Ballet has been the city’s own professional ballet company, known for staging classical, contemporary, romantic, and neoclassical works, pioneering new creations, and presenting relevant works by today’s most compelling choreographers. LAB’s original production of The Nutcracker has become a beloved holiday tradition, enchanting Los Angeles audiences as well as visitors from across the nation and the world.
Led by Artistic Director Melissa Barak and Executive Director Julia Rivera, LAB performs in theaters across Los Angeles County including Royce Hall at UCLA, The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, and Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre.
As part of its mission to nurture a lifelong love of ballet, LAB provides free tickets to thousands of residents in underserved communities through its arts education initiative Power of Performance (POP!). In 2012, LAB launched A Chance to Dance (ACTD), a hands-on outreach program offering free ballet and movement instruction for all ages.
Founded in 2004 by Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, Artistic Directors Emeriti, and Julie Whittaker, Executive Director Emerita, Los Angeles Ballet continues to inspire the city it calls home — now celebrating 20 years of extraordinary dance and looking ahead to the next era.
About ASLA
he Autism Society is the nation’s oldest leading grassroots autism organization and exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. Annually, the Autism Society and it’s 80+ local affiliates serve over 620,000 individuals impacted by autism through education, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, information and referral services, support, and providing community inclusion and acceptance at the national, state and local levels.
The Autism Society of Los Angeles empowers individuals with autism, their families, and professionals through advocacy, education, support and community collaboration. ASLA improves the quality of lives and provides support throughout the individual’s lifespan. ASLA believes in options and choices in interventions, services, supports, and programs with dignity, equality, and access for people. We are committed to maximizing the abilities of all persons.
For more information, go to AutismLA.org, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
About Dolby Theatre
The theatre is equipped with Dolby Atmos® cinema sound playback—the most natural, lifelike sensory experience available in a cinema. Complete with 215 individually powered loudspeakers, the Dolby Theatre features one of the most sophisticated sound systems in the world.
The theatre is equipped with Dolby Vision® projection technology—delivering incredible color, a million-to-one contrast ratio, and twice the brightness of standard screens.
We’ve been working with talented filmmakers to create unforgettable movie experiences for more than 40 years. From the cinema to the living room, Dolby continues to transform the entertainment experience, and the Dolby Theatre reflects our ongoing commitment to help moviemakers realize their visions.
One of the world’s premier entertainment venues, Dolby Theatre has hosted a range of prestigious artists and events including IRIS by Cirque du Soleil, Alicia Keys, Celine Dion, Prince, Elvis Costello, Barry Manilow, Stevie Wonder, Harry Connick, Jr., Melissa Etheridge, Dixie Chicks, Tyler Perry, Los Angeles Ballet, and various touring Broadway productions.
Notable television and awards events at Dolby Theatre have included the American Idol finals, AFI Life Achievement Awards to Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, and George Lucas, Daytime Emmy Awards, ESPY Awards and BET Awards.
For the theatergoer, Dolby Theatre experience begins on Hollywood Boulevard, where a towering portal, designed by Rockwell, serves as the grand entrance to the theatre, which is set back from the street. A two-story Awards Walk, featuring backlit glass plaques for each Best Picture Oscar® winner on a series of limestone portals, leads up a sweeping staircase with red mosaic tile to the main entrance.
The five-level theatre lobby is centered by a grand spiral staircase with cherrywood balustrades, topped by an oval, uplit silvery dome. Certain lobby design elements were inspired by Michelangelo’s Campodiglio in Rome and Busby Berkeley’s choreography. Twenty-six spectacular images of famous Oscar® winners including Grace Kelly, Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Halle Berry and Julia Roberts are permanently displayed on four lobby levels as photographic transparencies on clear plexiglass hung in front of shimmering beaded “silver screen” panels.
The audience chamber is highlighted by a silver-leafed “tiara”, a striking, looping oval structure that both supports and disguises an immense ceiling grid for lighting. Reflective ribs from the tiara extend down between the theatre’s box seats, creating a continuous flow from wall to ceiling. The chamber was designed to draw attention to the action on the stage, as well as to achieve the maximum intimacy between audience and performers. It is appointed with sumptuous details that give the space warmth including cherrywood finishes and deep plum upholstery, as well as a shimmering glow provided by curtains of two shades of iridescent fabric and a fine bronze mesh that stretches to the top of the proscenium, which measures some 64 feet wide by 35 feet high. The main stage area is one of the largest in the nation, at 120 feet wide and 75 feet deep.
Wolfgang Puck Catering and Events, owned by celebrated chef Wolfgang Puck, is the exclusive provider of food and beverage services for Dolby Theatre, including front of house, backstage and special private events that can be held in the theatre lobbies and the Dolby Lounge.
Guided theatre tours are offered with production and performance schedule exceptions. Please refer to the Tour Schedule for availability. The walking tour offers visitors architectural and historical highlights of the world-renowned venue, as well as a glimpse of the ultra-glamorous side of Dolby Theatre on Hollywood’s biggest night – the Oscars®.
Dolby Theatre is located within Ovation Hollywood, which consists of over 640,000 square feet of space featuring national, regional and local retail tenants, a variety of restaurants, several of Hollywood’s hottest nightclubs, a six-screen state-of-the-art cinema adjacent to the world-famous TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly known as Grauman’s) and the 640 room Loews Hollywood Hotel.
Dolby Laboratories (NYSE: DLB) creates audio, video, and voice technologies that transform entertainment and communications in mobile devices, at the cinema, at home, and at work. For nearly 50 years, sight and sound experiences have become more vibrant, clear, and powerful in Dolby®. The Dolby Theatre amplifies Dolby’s commitment to science and innovation, and its dedication to creating technologies that enable movies to immerse audiences in the experience. For more information, please visit dolby.com
