The original production, designed by Nicholas Georgiadis and choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev, has been restaged by National Ballet artistic director Karen Kain for the upcoming season. A total of 340 costumes have been refurbished; the wardrobe department has also built 21 new costumes (based on Georgiadis's original 1972 design sketches) for the Naiads, the water nymphs who appear in the Act II vision sequence.

When Nureyev choreographed The Sleeping Beauty for the National Ballet of Canada in 1972, it was the largest and most expensive ballet in the company's history, with a production budget of C$412,565.

The production has received 282 performances in its 34-year history, including in Germany, the Netherlands, Israel and throughout the U.S., including the company's debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in 1973.

A total of 14 backdrops have been repainted and 35 backdrops have been repaired. Over 100 props have been restored, along with over 50 set pieces.