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MIDLAND, PA (Dec. 3, 2019) — Graceful dancing, elegant set pieces, and gorgeous costumes with enchanting music makes Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center’s annual production of “The Nutcracker” a family tradition that sets the stage for the Christmas season.
Now in its 13th year at Lincoln Park, the beloved ballet is being presented in five performances running December 12-15. Tickets are available online at www.lincolnparkarts.org/events, or by calling the Lincoln Park Box office at (724) 576-4644.
“Our audiences enjoy the timeless holiday tradition of ‘The Nutcracker,’ which is also our longest running production,” says Justin Fortunato, Producing Artistic Director at Lincoln Park. “The beautiful costumes, set design, and dance scenes all with Tchaikovsky’s music, bring the storyline together.”
First performed in 1892, “The Nutcracker” did not reach its immense popularity until the 1960s, and is now presented by countless ballet companies, particularly in North America. Based on a short story by E.T.A. Hoffman, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” the ballet follows the journey of a young girl, Clara, into a magical land on Christmas eve, in which a Nutcracker Prince battles against a Mouse King with seven heads. Clara’s journey is shared with waltzing snowflakes, enchanted toys, and the Sugar Plum Fairy.
The ballet will unveil all new Act II scenery designed by the Lincoln Park Scene Shop with visions from director and choreographer Jennifer Verba. New roles will also make a debut this year. American Ribbon Candy will open Act II with the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Party Scene, which usually has a male doll, will have three female dolls—Harlequin Doll, Polichinelle Doll, and Columbine Doll—who will be more featured in the battle scene with the mysterious Drosselmeyer. And the Sugar Plum Fairy will perform the entire, visually stunning Grand Pas de Deux with her Cavalier.
“The Nutcracker this year has a phenomenal cast. All the dancers have really stepped up and our corps de ballet is very strong. I am very excited that this cast will be the first cast to celebrate our new Act II scenery because they all shine,” Verba said. Dancing the tale to life is a 70-member cast that features some of the freshest and most energetic young talent the region has to offer. The cast includes Morgan Faircloth of McKeesport (Clara), Josh Lyda of Pittsburgh (Nutcracker Prince), Courtney Bearer of Rochester (Mouse King), and Lexy Bittner of Pittsburgh (Sugar Plum Fairy).
Beyond the stage, patrons at Lincoln Park can also enjoy concessions in the Park Café before the show and at intermission, all in the presence of an awe-inspiring 30-foot Christmas tree in the middle of the atrium.
“The Nutcracker” is presented as part of “Live in the Moment,” Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center’s 2019-2020 Highmark Blue Cross / Blue Shield Subscription Series. The region’s premier arts-and-education destination, Lincoln Park is located in a beautiful park setting in Midland (Beaver County) Pennsylvania. The Center is home to the renowned Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, and creates authentic, real- world learning opportunities for young people by offering high-quality, professionally-produced musicals, plays, concerts, ballets, readings, and exhibits for patrons of all ages.
For more information, visit www.LincolnParkArts.org.
