It’s that magical time of year when the tale of a Nutcracker doll that comes to life, battles a Mouse King, and journeys with Clara to the Land of Sweets captivates audiences.

Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) of the Lehigh Valley presents its 38th production of “Nutcracker,” 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Dec. 6, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown.

Accompanied by the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, a cast of 60 performers, including guest artists and RDT students and alumni, bring the delightful holiday story to the stage.

“It’s so nice seeing the younger ones performing the more difficult and, in their words, more meaningful, roles. They all work so hard,” says RDT Artistic Director Jennifer Haltzman Tracy

Performers are ages 6 and up. Some adult performers return to take part in the show each year, including members of Haltzman Tracy’s family.

Eric Feinstein, who has played the role of Herr Drosselmeyer for many years, also enjoys the “family affair” aspect of RDT’s “Nutcracker,” as members of his family are in the show as well.

“The Act I Party Scene is truly a party that we would all have together,” Haltzman Tracy says in a phone interview.

Reprising their roles in “Nutcracker” are RDT alums Samantha Gabrielle Fruhwirth as Clara, Daniel Mayo as Nutcracker; Felicia Cruz-Sharpe, performing the Arabian dance, and Gabrielle Acampora, performing the Chinese dance.

Fruhwirth resides in Colorado and is an architectural designer and artist and owner of She Felt Studios.

Mayo, an Adjunct Instructor of Ballet at DeSales University, has danced with the RUBBERBANDance Group and BalletX.

Cruz-Sharpe is a Philadelphia-based choreographer, instructor and founder of DanceSpora.

Acampora resides in Maryland and works for Baltimore County Recreation and Parks.

Guest performers are Andrea Stephanie Mish as Sugar Plum Fairy, and Theirry Blannchard as her Cavalier.

Mish, born and raised in Florida, studied at Southern Dance Theatre and Ballet East, West Palm Beach, Fla., and A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts. She graduated cum laude with high distinction from Butler University in 2023 with a B.S. in Dance Arts Administration and Psychology. Mish joined Ballet Des Moines before becoming a member of Ballet Hispanico, New York City, where she is in her second season.

Blannchard, originally from São Paulo, Brazil, received a scholarship in 2016 to the Bolshoi Theater School, Brazil. In 2022, Blannchard received a trainee position with Eglevsky Ballet, New York City, and later that year, joined Collage Dance Collective. He has performed leading roles in “Romeo and Juliet,” “Don Quixote” and “Swan Lake.” He is now with Ballet Hispanico.

Student performers include Holly Binder, senior, Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, as Marzipan and Snow Queen; Mylah Huber, senior, Quakertown Community High School, as Snow Queen and Trepak, and Peytan Diffenbaugh, a high school senior attending Kutztown University, as the Mouse King.

Immediately following the first performance, for a nominal fee, there’s a “Land of Sweets” party where attendees can meet the cast, take photos, do arts and crafts, and enjoy treats.

Allentown Symphony Orchestra Music Director Diane Wittry will conduct the ASO, which is celebrating its 75th year.

There is new choreography for the Marzipan and Trepak scenes that highlight the dancers’ skills.

The show boasts beautiful costumes and sets.

Haltzman Tracy thanks Miller Symphony Hall’s stage crew and operators, who handle complex behind-the-scenes tasks with skill and professionalism:

“They’re just so wonderful, and they’re really good with the kids. They’re one of the first people I thank because they bend over backwards for us.”

She also credits the parents of RDT students, who assist with props, backstage organization, and costume changes.

Children who’ve seen “Nutcracker” often send letters to Haltzman Tracy, describing how they enjoy the swashbuckling fight scene between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker, or the dazzling snowfall, or the magical growing tree.

RDT presents three “Nutcracker” performances for area school students. Haltzman Tracy does Q&A sessions during intermission. She impresses upon students that the production includes a host of participants: “There are so many ways [children] can be involved in the arts.”

“Nutcracker,” Repertory Dance Theatre of the Lehigh Valley, Allentown Symphony Orchestra, 1 p.m., 5:30 p.m. Dec. 6, Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. Sixth St. Allentown; Tickets: Box Office, 610-432-6715, www.repertorydance.org