Truck with travelling Ontario ballet’s entire Nutcracker set stolen in GTA

A ballet company on an Ontario-wide tour of The Nutcracker says someone stole the moving truck storing its “irreplaceable” sets and backdrops.

Ballet Jörgen’s general manager Stephen Word issued a public plea Monday for anyone who sees the Penske truck — licence plate CD50229 — to report it to police. 

Word said security camera footage shows the vehicle was stolen around 3:30 a.m. from where it was parked in Etobicoke. Toronto police confirmed it’s been alerted to the stolen vehicle.

The truck had a GPS tracker, but that stopped working on McLaughlin Road in Mississauga around 4:30 a.m, Word said.

Inside, whether the thieves realize it or not, are “irreplaceable sets and backdrops” that are “the heart of our Ontario-wide holiday tour,” Word said in an email.

The company is set to perform the classic holiday ballet throughout late November and December to audiences everywhere from Burlington to Orillia to Ottawa. 

The ballet company vowed to go ahead with Tuesday’s scheduled show in Burlington, even if the sets aren’t recovered.