Welcome to our 16th season! Since Charlottesville Ballet’s humble premiere of
The Nutcracker Suite back in 2010, we have continually updated our annual holiday production with an expanded battle scene (2012), a full party scene (2016), live music in Lynchburg (2018-2019), and new props and costumes each season that are tailor
fit for every cast. The 2023 production of The Nutcracker is our largest ever, featuring over 220 performers in multiple casts with dancers, singers, and musicians from across Central Virginia!
You’ll also see a re-envisioning of Act II this year with a change in presentation and language around certain scenes. We honor the heritage of the music and choreography (from its premiere back in 1892), but our version now transcends outdated cultural boundaries to focus on the delectable treats in the Land of the Sweets! Clara’s story captures the triumph of good over evil, the joy of friendship, and the innocence of childhood dreams.
These universal themes resonate with people from all backgrounds, creating a shared experience as we’re all transported into a world of wonder.
Thank you for being part of the magic and for making the Ballet part of your holiday season.
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CLARA STAHLBAUM: Exodis Ward
UNCLE DROSSELMEYER: Daniel Miller
THE NUTCRACKER PRINCE: Edgardo Lacaba
THE SUGAR PLUM FAIRY: Yui Kaito
THE CAVALIER: Michael Knight
HOT CHOCOLATE: Eden Heille
COFFEE: Say Ayers & Daniel Miller
PARASOL COOKIE: Rachel Nash
MADAME SHEPHERD: Jeanne Berthy
SHEEP:
CANDY CANES: Jessica Grant, Eden Heille, Lucy Lucas
LADY SPRINKLES: Emily Little
CUPCAKES: Isabella Becchi, Lucy Lucas
THE DEW DROP FAIRY: Abigail Brent
FLOWERS: Gabriella Fedewa, Taylor Friesen, Gillian Grossman,
Ryland Mettee, Nekya Perry, Sophie Satoh
ABOUT THE NUTCRACKER
The original story was written in 1816 by the German author E.T.A. Hoffman. A young girl dreams of a Nutcracker Prince and a fierce battle against a Mouse King...however this Hoffman version was quite dark and morbid. When the Russian choreographer Marius Petipa had the idea to choreograph a new ballet, he used an adapted version by French author Alexander Dumas, who rewrote the plot to be more suitable for children. In 1892, Petipa commissioned Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky to compose the music for what would become one of the most popular ballets in the world.
The Nutcracker was first performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia in December of 1892. At first, the ballet was not a success with critics or audiences. Eventually,The Nutcracker made its way to North America with a premiere by the San Francisco Ballet in 1944 followed by George Balanchine’s version in 1954. Since the 1960’s, the ballet’s popularity has soared among American audiences and it’s now a beloved holiday tradition.
We hope you enjoy Charlottesville Ballet’s version of The Nutcracker and that it sweetens your holiday season for many years to come!
SYNOPSIS
Our story begins during the holidays at the home of a young girl named Clara Stahlbaum. Her parents, Mr. & Mrs. Stahlbaum, are hosting a lavish holiday party and their maid helps prepare for the festivities. Clara and her mischievous brother Fritz eagerly wait for the guests to arrive.
Clara and Fritz greet all of their friends as the party guests spread holiday cheer. They are in the midst of enjoying the party when a mysterious guest appears. Clara’s Uncle Drosselmeyer is a toymaker and a magician, and he casts a spell on them, having them act out an exciting battle.
But Drosselmeyer has a special gift just for Clara. He’s made her a wooden nutcracker doll. All of the other children marvel at it, but her little brother Fritz quickly becomes jealous. He grabs the nutcracker away from Clara, and as they fight over it, the nutcracker breaks! Clara is devastated. Their father scolds the naughty Fritz, but Drosselmeyer and the maid have already mended Clara’s nutcracker. She thanks them and dances with it in her arms, delighted with her present. She stays up very late at the party, and heads off to bed as soon as the guests say goodbye.
During the night, Clara realizes that she has left her nutcracker doll downstairs. She creeps back to the parlor to collect it, and falls asleep by the Christmas tree. She is woken again, this time to a crowd of mice around her! She is terrified, until her Uncle Drosselmeyer appears and scares them away. Around Clara, the familiar shape of the parlor begins to change.
The tree grows larger and larger, and her Uncle Drosselmeyer reveals the other half of his surprise: he transforms her nutcracker doll into a real Nutcracker Prince!
He does so in the nick of time, because the mice return with the fearsome Mouse
King. The Nutcracker calls toy soldiers into battle with the mice. The Mouse King kicks the Nutcracker to the floor, and is just about to finish him off when Clara throws her shoe to distract him. With Clara’s help, the Nutcracker is able to defeat the distracted Mouse King. Clara has only a moment to celebrate their victory when she realizes that the parlor has grown cold and that snowflakes are falling around them. Her Nutcracker Prince leads her to the Land of the Snowflakes, where they dance among the drifting, twirling snowflakes.
But the adventure is not over. Next, the Nutcracker leads Clara to the Land of the Sweets, where angels guide the way and bakers bring in delectable treats. The ruler of this land, the glittering Sugar Plum Fairy, gives Clara her magic wand and welcomes the girl to sit on her throne to watch her courtiers dance. There are treats of all kinds, adorable sheep, and even a giant woman with gingerbread children who invite Clara and the Nutcracker to dance alongside them. At the end of the evening, the Sugar Plum Fairy dances with her chivalrous Cavalier. Clara wishes she could stay in this dreamland forever, but the Sugar Plum Fairy and her courtiers wave farewell. Clara wakes up with the nutcracker doll in her arms and her head is filled with the memory of an incredible adventure.
Thank you to everyone who makes The Nutcracker possible!