December 8, 9, 15, 16, 2023 at 7:30 pm
December 9, 10, 16, 17, 2023 at 2:00 pm
December 14, 2023 at 4:00 pm
The Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Halifax
Presented by Lord Nelson Hotel & Suites
Presented by Symphony Nova Scotia, Halifax Dance, and Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia
Conducted by Greg Burton
Choreography by Leica Hardy
Original story by E.T.A. Hoffmann
Original story adaptation and direction by Leica Hardy and Graham Whitehead
The Nutcracker
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
ACT I
As the curtain opens, Clara, the only girl in the dormitory with no home to go to for the holidays, sits hugging her doll Emily for comfort. During the bustle and tension of departure, her sadness is forgotten for a while, and when her friends realize she is alone, with no one to give her gifts, they find what they can among their possessions. Clara, left on her own, falls asleep and her private adventures begin.
SCENE I – PROLOGUE
The Janitor – Sébastien Labelle
Fraulein Sophia Drosselmeyer – Amy Reitsma
Fraulein Lotte Drosselmeyer – Rebecca Wolfe
A Little Mouse – Aria Pile* or Laura Keyes**
OVERTURE
SCENE II – THE DORMITORY
Clara – Giovanna Lamboglia
The Schoolgirls – Maeve Boyne, Isabella Brennan, Jane Elliott, Lara Frame, Samira George, Nadia Tonen
Frieda, the Class Bully – Kennedy Pye
SCENE III – THE BATTLE OF THE MOUSE QUEEN AND THE NUTCRACKER
The Mouse Queen – Kennedy Pye
The Nutcracker Prince – Thiago dos Santos
Emily, the Rag Doll – Mandy Tang
The Scouting Party – Olivia Charbonneau**, Fiona Foot*, Lauren Foot*, Caroline Hindle**, Ivy MacLellan**, Lily McGrath*
The Army – Luna Artalejo, Maeve Boyne, Olivia Charbonneau**, Naomi Chaulk*, Fiona Foot*, Lauren Foot*, Charis Greeley*, Caroline Hindle**, Laura Keyes**, Elsa Larson, Ivy MacLellan**, Molly MacLellan**, Lily McGrath*, Aria Pile*, Isla Rovers**, Valeriia Shevchenko, Nadia Tonen, Libby Williams
SCENE IV – THE LAND OF SNOW
The Spirit of Winter – Michael Kamras with Isabella Down and Nev Holland
The Snow Maidens – Isabella Brennan, Maeve Brown, Niamh Draper, Jane Elliott, Lara Frame, Kaitlyn Heerema, Daria Kovalenko, Ekaterina Loginov, Rebecca Strong
The Skating Party – Rebecca Wolfe with Paige Edison**, Samira George, Alice Gunn**, Olivia Holmes*, Julia Keyes**, Lily MacDonald*, Sophie Welch*
INTERMISSION : 20 MINUTES
ACT II
As Clara dreams, her imagination continues to change the everyday into the fantastic, the worn out and shabby into the gorgeous and elegant. Fan, flower, lantern, doll, even the candy cane and the snake are transformed and given new life. Clara summons her companions to help her celebrate a world full of friendship and delight. Even though there comes a time for the fantasy to end, her dream leaves her with a new hope and maybe, just maybe, something unexpected.
OVERTURE
SCENE I – IN THE PALACE OF THE RAG DOLL QUEEN
Emily, the Rag Doll Queen – Mandy Tang
THE WELCOME AND CELEBRATION OF THE GIFTS
The Fan
The Dancer – Isabelle Brennan
The Bullfighters – Maeve Boyne, Jane Elliott, Daria Kovalenko, Ekaterina Loginov
Frieda’s Gift
The Snake – Nadia Tonen with Maeve Brown, Kaitlyn Heerema, and Elsa Larson
The Lantern
The Lantern Dancer – Jane Elliott
The Lion – Maeve Boyne, Isabella Down, Nev Holland
The Ribbon Dancers – Alice Gunn, Ekaterina Loginov, Lily Macdonald, Libby Williams
The Dancing Doll
Sasha – Luna Artalejo, Niamh Draper, Samira George, Julia Keyes, Rebecca Strong
The Candy Cane
The Shepherdesses – Lara Frame with Kaitlyn Heerema and Valeriia Shevchenko
Their Sheep – Paige Edison, Olivia Holmes, Sophie Welch
Mother Ginger’s Arrival
Mother Ginger – Rebecca Wolfe
The Children – Olivia Charbonneau**, Naomi Chaulk*, Fiona Foot*, Lauren Foot*, Charis Greeley*, Caroline Hindle**, Laura Keyes**, Ivy MacLellan**, Molly MacLellan**, Lily McGrath*, Aria Pile*, Isla Rovers**
THE CELEBRATION CONTINUES
Waltz of the Flowers
The Flowers – Luna Artalejo, Maeve Boyne, Libby Williams
The Dancers – Isabella Brennan, Maeve Brown, Niamh Draper, Jane Elliott, Lara Frame, Daria Kovalenko, Ekaterina Loginov, Kennedy Pye, Rebecca Strong
The Garland Dancers – Paige Edison**, Samira George**, Alive Gunn**, Kaitlyn Heerema**, Olivia Holmes*, Julia Keyes**, Elsa Larson*, Lily MacDonald*, Elena Mason**, Valeriia Shevchenko*, Nadia Tonen*, Sophie Welch*
The Children – Olivia Charbonneau**, Naomi Chaulk*, Fiona Foot*, Lauren Foot*, Charis Greeley*, Caroline Hindle**, Laura Keyes**, Ivy MacLellan**, Molly MacLellan**, Lily McGrath*, Aria Pile*, Isla Rovers**
The Dance of the Nutcracker Prince
Clara’s Dance of Delight
The Dream Fades
The Farewell
SCENE II – CLARA AWAKENS IN THE DORMITORY
*Dec. 8 (7:30), Dec. 9 (7:30), Dec. 14 (4:00), Dec. 16 (2:00), Dec. 17 (2:00)
**Dec. 9 (2:00), Dec. 10 (2:00), Dec. 15 (7:30), Dec. 16 (7:30)
