Thanks to generous ticket donation from the Ballet Theatre of Maryland (BTM), 22 families of critically ill children attended a special in-person VIP dress rehearsal performance of The Nutcracker. 

This dress rehearsal performance is a thoughtful gift for Casey Cares families who can accept the tickets and see an incredible performance in a low-stress environment with other families of critically ill children in the event they need to leave.  

For example, Casey Cares kiddo Niko, age 8 and diagnosed with proprionic acidemia, and his sister came with family to see the performance. Mom, Jen said, “ Thank you so much for the opportunity to see the Nutcracker last night. We really enjoyed it! Since Niko is immune-compromised, it was so nice to get to see this show in special, less crowded performance. We love that you always include his little sister too, who really loves the ballerinas!"

Brenna Mazzara, BTM Community Engagement Coordinator and dancer, states, "This is a special production that we look forward to each Nutcracker season, and we are so proud to be a partner of Casey Cares to share this bright holiday tradition with families."

Scarlett, age 2 and diagnosed with stage 4 intermediate-risk neuroblastoma, and her sister Stella were one of the families who were at the ballet! Mom, Morgan expresses, “We wanted to thank you guys again for the chance to go see the Nutcracker performance! It was so amazing to have such a private show, and the girls loved getting to actually meet the ballerinas. Neither Scarlett nor her sister Stella have ever been out to real show like this so they were truly captivated the entire show! We wanted to say thank you!”

The BTM has shared a long partnership with Casey Cares having donated tickets for children to watch in-person and virtual performances to the nonprofit since 2007.  

Alexander Collen, BTM Finance Manager and dancer, concludes that what the “BTM strives for and stresses is creating meaningful transformative experiences for our patrons and we all really appreciate the responsibility and opportunity to do so for the Casey Cares children and families.” 

Ademore and siblings loved going to the show. Mom, Dolapo said,  “Thank you so much for the opportunity to see the Nutcracker show. It was fantastic! We also got the chance to meet the spectacular performers.”

Thank you Ballet Theatre of Maryland! Read more here and here!