A Message from the Artistic Director

FRANCESCO VENTRIGLIA | Artistic Director

To our incredible audience,

It is with great joy and warmth that I welcome you to our cherished production of The Nutcracker. This beloved ballet has become a treasured tradition for families across the province, and it is our honour to share this magical journey with you each year.

In this enchanting tale, we invite you to step into a world of wonder and imagination, where dreams come to life through the artistry of our talented dancers and the beautiful music of Tchaikovsky. The Nutcracker is more than just a performance; it is a celebration of kindness, love, and the spirit of giving values that resonate deeply during the Christmas season.

As you gather with your loved ones to enjoy this spectacular show, may you find joy in the enchanting moments, and may the magic of the holidays fill your hearts with warmth and hope. We are grateful for your support and for being a part of our Alberta Ballet family.

Wishing you and your families a joyous Christmas and a wonderful holiday season.

With heartfelt gratitude,

FRANCESCO VENTRIGLIA
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

The Story

The Nutcracker

SUMMARY

Act I
It is Christmas Eve and the Vishinsky family is welcoming guests to a party in their home. Their children, Klara and Nikolai, play ‘Blind Man’s Bluff’ with the youngest party guests. Presents are distributed and then Klara and Nikolai lead the children in a boisterous dance.

The parents, in turn, dance a courtly quadrille.

When Klara’s godfather Drosselmeyer arrives, the guests are treated to his magic tricks. Drosselmeyer has also brought life-size mechanical dolls who perform a play. They tell the story of a man who invented a clever mousetrap, one so successful he attracted the wrath of the Rat Tsar. The Rat Tsar took revenge on the man by turning his nephew into a hideous nutcracker. The only way to break the spell was to find someone who would love the nutcracker, not for what he looked like, but for what he was.

In the play, the soldier, who is changed into a nutcracker, is helped by a ballerina who falls in love with him. She defeats the toy Rat Tsar by hitting him on the head with her slipper.

After the play, Drosselmeyer invites Klara to dance and presents her with a nutcracker of her own. Nikolai accidentally breaks the nutcracker, but Klara soon forgives him. Drosselmeyer fixes the nutcracker, and Klara and the girls play with their dolls.

Grandfather and Babushka are invited to dance, the parents and children joining in the fun. The party ends and the guests depart. Klara looks around for her nutcracker. It’s nowhere to be seen. Babushka tells Klara to look again in the morning and packs Nikolai and Klara off to bed.

Later that night, Klara returns to the parlour to search for her nutcracker. The town hall clock strikes midnight and at once she is surrounded by a hoard of mice.

Drosselmeyer appears, rescuing Klara by casting a spell over the mice, sending them to sleep. 

He explains to Klara that it was actually he who was being portrayed in the play earlier that evening and it was he who had built the mousetrap that had angered the Rat Tsar. The Rat Tsar, in revenge, had transformed his nephew, Karl, into a nutcracker, the very nutcracker that Klara was now holding!

Act II

The Snow Tsarina leads the sleigh to the gates of the Palace of the Sugar Plum Fairy. There, they are greeted by the Palace Pages and are introduced to the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier.

The celebration continues with dances from the Palace’s confectionary delights. Marzipan dancers take the stage first, followed by Caramel dancers, then Peppermint dancers and then Popcorn.

Klara and Karl dance and are then entertained by the Palace Pages and the Waltz of the Flowers, led by Christmas Rose. The Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier conclude the celebrations with a Grand Pas de Deux and a rousing finale.

EPILOGUE

Very early the next morning, Klara answers a knock at the door. It is Drosselmeyer. He bids her good morning and, from under his cape, produces a nutcracker. A young man, who seems strangely familiar to Klara enters, and as he and Drosselmeyer depart together, Klara begins to wonder whether it was all a dream after all.

Act I - Continued

With Klara’s promise to love the nutcracker, Drosselmeyer employs his magic, causing the room to grow and themselves to shrink. The nutcracker now reappears, life-size to the now tiny Klara and Drosselmeyer. An army of soldiers stream out of the fort to engage in a battle with the cossack rats that have gathered on the other side of the parlour. With the nutcracker leading the soldiers, a fierce battle ensues and eventually the Rat Tsar himself appears. With his powerful magic, he attempts to attack Drosselmeyer, but the nutcracker intervenes to save his uncle.

Klara remembers Drosselmeyer’s play during the party and how the ballerina defeated the Rat Tsar by hitting him on the head with her shoe. She strikes the Rat Tsar on the head, distracting him long enough for the nutcracker to attack him with his own scepter.

The Rat Tsar is mortally wounded, and the nutcracker also collapses in pain. Drosselmeyer realizes that his plans and magic are still not enough to transform his nephew. Klara and Drosselmeyer sense that their surroundings are changing and as Klara seeks help, she encounters wolves and fears they wil devour her precious nutcracker.

However, the wolves are attendants to the Snow Tsarina who appears in her sleigh. She instructs Drosselmeyer to stand the nutcracker up and, with a wave of her hand, transforms the nutcracker back into Karl. It takes a moment for Karl to realize he is human again. Once he does, he embraces Drosselmeyer and Klara and thanks the Snow Tsarina for her life-restoring spell.

The Snow Tsarina summons her Snow Princesses and sleigh and guides everyone to a mysterious palace in the distance.

The Nutcracker
Creative Team

Music Credits

Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker
Performed by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
(December 4 – 8)

Conductor Peter Dala

Casting

Subject to Change

Children’s Cast

Alberta Ballet Dancers

Alberta Ballet Artistic Team

Alberta Ballet Artistic Support

Stage Manager | Marisa Mireau
Physiotherapist | Brittney Winnitoy, Kirsten Taylor / Momentum Health
Pilates | Jo-Anne Bunbury / Calgary Pilates
Company Pianists | Marina Federov, Michael Levin, Juanita Faas,
Lorel Leal, Mary Martell, Helena Barker

Production Team

Assistant Technical Director, Head Carpenter | Jason McLellan
Lead Fly | Kevin Green
Lead Props | Christina Hantos
Second Props | Cassandra Thorbjornsen
Lead Lighting | Chris Axford
Second Lighting | Oliver Petti
Assistant Technical Director, Wardrobe | Raven Hehr
Second Wardrobe/Stitcher | Erin LeBaron
Cutter | Anne Nguyen
Shoe Dyeing | Kari Bjarnason-Willcocks
Tights Dyeing | Kim Lennox
Wig and Hairpiece Styling | Franca Vaccaro
Touring Wardrobe Supervisor | Michele Merrells
Childrens Wardrobe Supervisor | Karen Crocker

Up Next…

The Alberta Ballet Foundation
is proud to support

The Nutcracker

The Alberta Ballet Foundation plays a vital role in supporting Alberta Ballet’s mission of presenting world-class ballet and cultivating a vibrant arts community for Albertans. Donor contributions to our endowment are matched through the Canada Cultural Investment Fund. With a goal to grow the Endowment to $20 million to ensure an annual disbursement of $1 million, the Alberta Ballet Foundation aims to provide even greater access to the transformative power of dance for generations to come. 

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our Endowment Donors, whose generosity makes this important work possible.

To donate, please connect with us at
PaulC@AlbertaBallet.com
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Paul Chambers
Executive Director
Alberta Ballet Foundation

Alfred Sorensen
Chair
Alberta Ballet Foundation

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