FOR THE KIDS : ‘Nutcracker’ Toys With Local Audiences : Two engaging productions of the traditional Christmas ballet are being presented in Oxnard and Thousand Oaks.

The holidays are here and so is “The Nutcracker” ballet, that venerable Christmas story of toys that come to life, a Sugar Plum Fairy and, of course, a dashing prince.

For kids, it’s the ballet to see. And this year there are two productions of “The Nutcracker” with live music. For the 15th year, the Ventura County Symphony will join the Channel Islands Ballet Company for performances that open Friday at the Oxnard Civic Auditorium.

For the first time, the Conejo Symphony Orchestra will team up with the California Dance Theatre Festival Ballet later this month at the new Civic Arts Plaza in Thousands Oaks. Three performances Dec. 16 and 17 have already sold out, so a fourth was added Dec. 15.

If youngsters are unfamiliar with the story, it’s best to fill them in before the ballet so they’ll know what’s going on.

It’s a story set on Christmas Eve at the Silberhaus home in Germany around the turn of the century. The family has a gala party with lots of friends and relatives. Young Clara receives a special gift--a nutcracker doll--from her uncle, the eccentric Herr Drosselmeyer.

After the party, Clara falls asleep on the living room sofa and what she dreams becomes the heart of the ballet. The Nutcracker comes to life, protecting her from an attack by the Mouse King and his army. He turns into a prince and before Clara awakens, she has visited several exotic places.

For those who have made the Oxnard production an annual tradition, there are some changes this year. The most stunning is the Christmas tree, the one that grows before the audience’s eyes, dazzling children. This year, the tree is new. Three-dimensional, it rises from 10 feet in the beginning to 27 feet--all by the use of pulleys and a busy back-stage crew. If that doesn’t astound the kids, a cannon that goes off at one point in the ballet may.

The choreography is new this year too, according to Clarissa Boeiru, artistic director for the production, which features 96 dancers. It’s a longer performance, more than two hours, but there is an intermission. The symphony is under the direction of Paul Paulevnik.

The role of Clara is shared by Sarah Grether, 12, and Haley Henderson, 11. Clara, as she appears in the dream, will be danced by Monica Galindo, an instructor at Ballet Ventura School, the official school of the Channel Islands Ballet Company.

Three professional dancers will perform. Anatoli Kucheruk, an internationally recognized principal with the Alabama Ballet, will be The Prince. Kirsten Oakley, a Ventura native now dancing with Et Toi Tu Danses in Milwaukee, will be the Sugar Plum Fairy. Karl Warkentien, who has danced with several ballet companies, will be Drosselmeyer.

California Dance Theatre Festival Ballet, based in Agoura Hills, has put on “The Nutcracker” at local theaters for six seasons. This is the first season in the new Civic Arts Plaza, and the first teaming for a full-length production with the Conejo Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Elmer Ramsey.

The ballet is choreographed and directed by Kim Maselli and Joyce Hurley. It features 140 dancers, including guest performers Diane Dickson in the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy and John Denniston as the cavalier and the Arabian. Both Dickson and Denniston danced with the former Los Angeles Ballet.

And for the kids, this production also has a dazzling Christmas tree that grows during the ballet. It was made by special-effects pros in Hollywood and rises to 18 feet.

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Jim Gamble will bring his puppet entourage to Thousand Oaks on Friday morning for a special Christmas show for kids. He’ll be doing “The Night Bearfore Christmas” with his bear puppet helpers at 9:30 and 11 a.m. at the Forum Theatre in the Civic Arts Plaza. Tickets are $5.50. For information, call 493-4348.

“The Nutcracker” ballet will be performed with live music in two locations:

Details

* OXNARD: The Channel Islands Ballet Company and the Ventura County Symphony will stage the production at the Oxnard Civic Auditorium, 800 Hobson Way. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 to $28. For ticket information, call 648-4430, 643-8646 or 486-2424.

* THOUSAND OAKS: California Dance Theatre Festival Ballet and the Conejo Symphony Orchestra will perform at the civic auditorium, Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15, 8 p.m. Dec. 16, and 3 and 8 p.m. Dec. 17. (As of last week, all shows were sold out except Dec. 15. Tickets are $15 to $30. For information, call 449-ARTS.