Premiering as a ballet in 1892, “The Nutcracker” has been a classic for over a century. It follows the story of Clara, a young girl who falls asleep after being given a nutcracker by her godfather, Drosselmeyer, and embarks on a great adventure with the Nutcracker and her toys, which have come to life. Together, they fight the Mouse King and his army of mice. The Nutcracker has been performed as a ballet in countless theaters and has been made into multiple movies.
This December, ETHS Theater is doing its own take on The Nutcracker. In their version, 16-year-old Clara and her toys didn’t beat the mice, and all that’s left is Drosselmeyer’s grandfather clock that can wind back time. Clara goes to the beginning of the party and is given three more chances to save the world from the Mouse King and the mice. This time, though, she has the grandfather clock, with which she will travel to dimensions where more than just toys come to life.
Clara will be played by senior Jane Van Ert, who made her ETHS theater debut in YAMO this past fall. YAMO was Van Ert’s first experience with both ETHS theater and theater in general, after she decided to branch out of sports and into something new. Although this is only her second play, Van Ert is feeling optimistic, and she’s incredibly excited to take on the role of Clara.
“I’ve never done anything like this before, but I feel so in my element, and happy and excited, rather than nervous,” explained Van Ert.
With an abundance of lines to remember and a role as a central character in the show, Van Ert is working incredibly hard to bring Clara to life. She’s looking forward to seeing how the show comes together.
“It’s one thing to be rehearsing it in the back of a classroom, but it’s different when it’s put on stage with the set and costumes,” commented Van Ert.
Sophomore Marc Lister, who will be playing the Nutcracker, agrees with Van Ert, explaining that he’s excited for when they start refining the show.
“A little bit later in the process, we’re gonna start to perfect it, and I’m really excited for that, so I can really start to work on my character even more and build more relationships with the other characters,” stated Lister.
Lister’s experience with ETHS theater started in his freshman year with the frosh/soph play “The Birds,” and he has continued to perform in school productions throughout his high school career. Playing the Nutcracker will be his second male lead role, with his first being Sky in “Mamma Mia!”
For this play, Lister is most focused on improving the fight choreography, of which there is a lot for his character in The Nutcracker.
“We’re doing a lot of fight choreography, because there’s a lot of sword fights…It’s just taken a while to memorize all of the choreography,” noted Lister.
The Nutcracker will be an exciting, new version of the classic ballet, put on by an incredibly hardworking cast of actors and directors. See Jane, Marc, and the rest of the cast in The Nutcracker on December 11th, 12th, and 13th at 7 p.m. in the Upstairs Theater.
