Police are investigating after thieves waltzed off with “irreplaceable” sets and Group of Seven backdrops for a touring production of “The Nutcracker” early Monday morning.
Ballet Jorgën, which had just started performances of its beloved holiday production, said a rental truck transporting the scenery was stolen from a lot in Etobicoke around 2:30 a.m.
“This is devastating for us because these sets are very specific and extremely hard to replace,” said Bengt Jörgen, the artistic director and CEO of Ballet Jörgen, in a phone interview with the Star. “Unless we can find the sets, it’s going to severely impact the quality of the production.”
The company said the stolen vehicle is a white, 26-foot Penske truck with the Ontario licence plate CD50229. When the theft occurred, it was parked at 77 N Queen St. in Etobicoke. According to the vehicle’s tracking device, its last known location was on McLaughlin Road in Mississauga.
Toronto police confirmed it received a report for theft of a motor vehicle associated with the Etobicoke address, but could not provide other details, including suspect information. “This investigation is still in the early stages,” said a Toronto police spokesperson in an email statement.
Ballet Jörgen’s staging of “The Nutcracker” originally debuted in 2008. While it makes use of Tchaikovsky’s classic score, the production transports the action to Northern Ontario in 1912.
Its custom-built backdrops are made up of 10-metre reproductions of paintings by the Group of Seven, depicting various Canadian landscapes. Jörgen said the sets cost approximately $150,000.
The production’s 2025 holiday tour, which opened in North Bay on Thursday, is scheduled to tour to more than a dozen communities in Ontario, running for 25 performances through the end of December. Its next performance is set for Tuesday evening in Burlington.
Jörgen said all performances will continue as planned.
“We can’t fully recreate those elements we’ve lost, but we’ll do our very best,” he said. “We’re still hopeful that somehow, the truck hasn’t left the country and somebody will find it.”
With files from Anastasia Blosser.
