Auditions for the sixth annual production of The Nutcracker will take place Sunday, Sept. 10 at the Coast Academy of Dance in Sechelt, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Coasting Along Theatre Society is looking for dancers, acrobats, jugglers – talent!
Rehearsals will start the following weekend and continue every weekend until the performances Dec. 16 to 19.
The guest artists are already rehearsing. Emilie Siqueira is returning as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and there is a new Cavalier this year. Miguel Nguyen has been with the production from the beginning, but his current contract in Argentina doesn’t finish in time, so Siqueira is rehearsing with a new partner in Brazil.
This year, School District No. 46 is still in session during The Nutcracker run, so producers will initiate their schools outreach program, offering two school shows: Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 18 and 19. This will give school children a chance to see the ballet, and the two extra performances will give the dancers a chance to perform a role that may not be quite ready for prime-time.
The schools outreach program started in Tennessee and was the biggest of its kind. Over 80,000 school children were able to watch full ballets, “and they were enthralled the entire time,” said Kathleen Holmes, artistic director.
“The memories are blazed into my brain. The visions of children walking into a theatre for the first time in their lives, eyes bulging, mouth dropping in the awe of the splendour of the ornate hall. The bursts of laughter (yes, ballets have humour), the gasps of amazement, the applause, the thunderous applause from school children being thoroughly entertained with ballet.”
Holmes has wanted to bring this program to the Coast for a long time. She said, “Finally we get the opportunity. For two performances, we get to bus in school children from the local schools to see a full professionally produced ballet performance. We give teachers educational materials beforehand – synopsis of the story, the composer, the dancers – and the kids go to the ballet well prepared and excited to see their studies come to life. This is so extremely exciting for us – and we are so thrilled to get the chance to bring this to the Coast!”
Holmes added, “For the dancers, I think it’s fun. They hear the energy of the kids. They hear the laughter, they hear the oohs and the ahhs. That’s always a great thing for a performer to feel the energy from the audience.”
Support from local businesses and grants should enable Coasting Along Theatre to offer The Nutcracker performances at discounted rates to the schools and students.
Holmes said she hopes the children who come to the performances have a positive experience with an art form that many are experiencing for the first time.
For more information, see www.coastingalongtheatre.org or email [email protected]
– Submitted
