A LOCAL TWIST ON A CLASSIC entral Pennsylvania Nutcracker’ comes to Eisenhower ' Karina Yiicel :gian staff writer Chellman first took her o "A Central Pennsylvania nr years ago. ir. 7-year-old Aila will per- Central Pennsylvania [mg with her brothers. ill be performed at 7 p.m. at 3 p.m. Sunday in Iditorium. ■25 for adults, $2O for sen- Us and $l5 for children 12 in. department head and ucation, said she took her i performance when the 3- d an interest in ballet. ink she would make it '.ole thing. I told my hus be back by intermission," in said she and Aila sat in nd throughout the whole danced and sang along la made it through the i'( ’bellman said. "She t ' s playing a snow angel r and .Jules, both ;l are m the party >cene and ‘They are very excited that they all get to be in the show this year,” Carr- Chellman said. Carr-Chellman has been attending ver sions of the Nutcracker since she was a young girl and said "A Central Pennsylvania Nutcracker” is among her favorites because of its historical aspect. Sarah Kopac, administrative director of the Ballet Theatre of Central Pennsylvania, said the show is interesting because its story takes place in the State College area. Alex and Andrea Hill, co-founders and directors of the Ballet Theatre of Central Pennsylvania, went on a visit with their family to the Centre Flimace Mansion. Kopac said the Hills were enchanted by the history of the area, specifically with important Centre County families like the Thompson family and their friends the Boals, the Curtins and the Irvins. The Hills then wrote “A Central Pennsylvania Nutcracker” based on their interest in those families. Kopac said the youngest Thompson daughter. Annie, was the black sheep. All of her siblings went on to have their own businesses, while she did not. Annie lived to be 55 and seemed to have disappeared from all historical references before then. V.nie's story fueled the Hill’s interest ,-j the back-story to "A Central If you go What: "A Central Pennsylvania Nutcracker" Where: Eisenhower Auditorium When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12 Details: Tickets are $25 for adults, $2O for seniors and students and $l5 for children 12 and under. Pennsylvania Nutcracker.” “The Party" scene in Act I is filled with guests such as Andrew Gregg Curtin, George Boat, Evan Pugh and his fiancee Rebecca Valentine and the Thompson family sort of a “who’s who” of Centre County in 1863, Kopac said. As the ballet begins, the Civil War has just moved to Pennsylvania, and the United States has just celebrated its first Thanksgiving. In the Hills' take on the Nutcracker. Annie replaces the original's Marie, and the original's Drosselmeyer is a former furnace employee of Moses Thompson. The traditional “battle scene" in the original performance was recreated bv the Hills as a Civil War reenactment, with the original mice being Confederate sol diers. Act 11, “Kingdom of the Sweets." includes treats from traditional 19th cen tury central Pennsylvania. These special ties include "Matzabaum," a Pennsylvania Dutch version of Marzipan, “beUyguts,” a type of taffy, and “mojhy," a sugar glaze used with apples or plums. Another difference in the Hills’ version of the Nutcracker is that the dancing Amish children represent a key cultural aspect of central Pennsylvania. The original characters of sugar plum fairies, mice and orphans can still be found in this version. Kopac said children ranging from five to 20-year-olds will perform. All the dancers are either in the Ballet Theatre of Central Pennsylvania School or its per forming company and live in the towns surrounding State College. Julia Ostrowski has been a ballerina for 13 years and is now in the Ballet Theatre of Central Pennsylvania's ballet company. This year Ostrowski (sophomore-art) said she will be performing in the Nutcracker as four different characters. Ostrowski said her favorite part of the performance is seeing the small children after the performance. "The cast does a greeting after the show is finished." Ostrowski said. "It's great to have the little kids some up and talk to vou." (Jstrowski said the Nutcracker is some thing that is part of the community a lot of the performers are students in middle school, high school and college. Laurel Smail said she has seen the pro duction many times because her friend is one cf the performers. "I chink it is wonderful," Smail (junior vocal performance) said. "They practice very hard, they stop classes for two months to practice for the show. They do a wonderful job." Smail said she has seen many versions of the Nutcracker and performances the Ballet Theatre of Central Pennsylvania's version can stand toe-to toe with other larger productions. "I love it. I have seen it in Chicago and New York City’, and I like the fantasy and romanticism of other productions, but I'm a bit of a history buff and this is a different spin on the story;" Smail said. Along with the performance, the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra will be performing a special number before the show begins. Kopac said “A Central Pennsylvania Nutcracker" will get families ready for the holiday season once they leave the audito rium. "Families leave and are immediately in the Christmas spirit and are ready to go start their holiday traditions," Kopac said. " rsa:: reporte’ kzysols<i’psu.edu
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers