Valdosta Christmas favorite 'The Nutcracker' returning

Terry Richards, The Valdosta Daily Times, Ga.
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Sep. 27—VALDOSTA — An annual Christmas tradition in Valdosta is gearing up for its 52nd year.

The annual performances of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's classical ballet "The Nutcracker" will take place at 7 p.m. Dec. 1, at 1 p.m. Dec. 2 in a children's narrated version and at 7 p.m., and at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Valdosta Performing Arts Center, said Allison Shenton with Dance Arts Valdosta.

The Christmas favorite has been performed annually by Dance Arts since 1970, except for one year in the 1970s when renovations to the show's then-venue, Mathis City Auditorium, made it impossible, said Shenton, Dance Arts' artistic director.

"The Nutcracker" focuses on a little girl named Clara, who must be protected from the villainous Mouse Army and the sinister Mouse King by a brave wooden Nutcracker who is really a handsome prince.

Auditions for this year's edition of "The Nutcracker" have already been held, she said. The production alternates between two casts; Angela Brown and Anna Elliott play Clara, Emma Thomas and Elizabeth Grace Gibbs play the Sugar Plum Fairy, Mikayla Ooten and Marry Todd Parramoure play the Snow Queen and Talley Reed and Kate Haire play Dew Drop. Landon Gibbs plays the Nutcracker Prince and William David Brandon plays the Cavalier in all performances.

All cast members are part of Dance Arts except for certain guest performers and adult community members, Shenton said.

In years gone by, the famed music for "The Nutcracker" was provided live, "but COVID-19 stopped our ability to do live music," she said.

A move from Mathis City Auditorium to the Valdosta Performing Arts Center also impacted operations, Shenton said; the cast now has to dance above a covered-up orchestra pit.

"There's not a dancer in ballet who doesn't have some kind of connection to 'The Nutcracker,' " she said.

Tickets for all shows start at $20 and all seats are reserved. Tickets will be available online at www.danceartsvaldosta.com starting Oct. 15. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the theater box office one hour prior to each performance.

For more information on The Nutcracker, call Dance Arts at (229) 563-6681.

Terry Richards is the senior reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times.