The Nutcracker comes to Strand stage

Robin Caudell, The Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
·4 min read

Nov. 30—LAKE PLACID — A classic spins its dreamy magic this holiday season when the Lake Placid Center for the Arts (LPCA) presents the 39th annual performance of The Nutcracker Ballet at The Strand Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 2 and Sunday, Dec. 3.

"The Lake Placid audiences, for whatever reason, really appreciate live performance and they certainly turned out for the Nutcracker," Alice Schonbek, production director, said.

"We had two sold-out shows and one nearly sold out. So, that was good. The cast, despite the fact that they're young, and some very inexperienced, really did a great job. The support of Lake Placid Center for the Arts is really a good thing. They are very community oriented and as professional as they are in bringing many different people in, they also are really supportive of community events like this."

Schonbek noted that LPCA Executive Director James Lemons and Managing Director Jon Donk have been very supportive of the production.

"I think it's part of their mission to support the community, and they certainly have done it with the Nutcracker all through September, October and November of this year," she said.

"So, that's a good thing. That's a good combination."

DANCERS

The production includes 67 local student dancers as well as community members who perform in Acts 1 and 2.

The production's artistic staff includes choreographer Kristen Glazier and choreography from Terpsie Toon, Natalia Balina-Zborowska, Kristen Glazier and Madelyn LaLonde.

The dancers live in Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties and hail from Malone, Lake Placid, Plattsburgh, Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake, Westport, etc.

"They are from everywhere," Schonbek said.

"We have one senior. Grace Stephens is her name. She's from Westport and goes to Keene Central School. We have three professionals — Erin Ginn (Sugar Plum Fairy) from New York, and her partner is Jace Coronado (Cavalier), and we have Tyler Nye, who is an actor but living mostly locally now. He lives in Tupper Lake. He is Uncle Drosselmeyer. He's been with us for awhile now in that role."

Every year, Schonbek witnesses the dancers' transformation.

"It's so very interesting to me to watch the community form with kids from all different studios and all different backgrounds," she said.

"They all become a really tight-knit unit over the season and have a good supportive time together."

WARDDROBE

Nutcracker Inc. owns 200-plus costumes that are handstitched and refitted every year.

"This year, we have a series of costumes that have been refreshed by one of our old costume directions, and that is Marty Lawthers," Schonbeck said.

"She came in and helped the current costumers. They are led by Krrynne Vincent. She and her big cast of volunteers in the sewing department just revamped and refitted all these costumes to refit the kids this year. It's a huge job to fit and hand stitch 200 costumes. I have immense respect for these ladies."

Lawthers, with the costume crew, redid three different scenes.

"She redid Waltz and Snow and repurposed the costumes," Schonbek said.

"And the dance we call Dance of the Veils, they've all been kind of refreshed and worked on this year. We have a new tree. A tree that grows. Putting on Nutcracker is such a funny thing. It's kind of the same thing every year, the same theme of course, Nutcracker is Nutcracker, but each year we try to enhance it and make it a little bit different so that those who come back can enjoy it as much as those who are seeing it for the first time."

CHOREOGRAPHY

The production's choreography remains pretty much the same.

"Of course, we always have to tailor the choreography to the number of dancers we have," Schonbek said.

"So, there are little changes and differences this year. Since 2019 was our last full production, and then last year we came back after COVID, last year and this year we've had pretty much the same choreography.

"We did bring back Waltz of the Flowers that we had back a few years ago with the woman who founded the Lake Placid Center for the Arts Ballet School. That's Michela Boschetto. Her Waltz of the Flowers hadn't been done in awhile, and we brought that back this year."

This season marks Schonbeck's 39th Nutcracker.

"But I have tremendous help in our rehearsal director and that's Kristen Glazier," she said.

"She is a wonderful rehearsal director."

STAGE ADJUSTMENTS

LPCA's stage is larger and the house, where the people sit, smaller than at the Strand Center for the Arts in Plattsburgh.

"The Strand is huge compared with most theaters around here and often our children when they get onto that stage and look at the number of people are kind of taken aback," Schonbek said.

"They are a little bit stunned because it's a lot of people. But, that's a very special thing. We make the production work from one stage to the other. It takes a little bit of doing to get used to the new stage, you know, the smaller stage, but we do it. It's a beautiful place to perform. We feel very lucky to perform there."

Email: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com

Twitter@RobinCaudell