Warren County Theatre Project puts twist on ‘The Nutcracker’ at The Windamere

Warren County Theatre Project will soon present “The Nutcracker” with four performances at the The Windamere in Middletown.

“This is a festive show. It’s supporting local artists, young dancers, and up-and-coming professionals…It’s exciting. It will be new, and it’s in a more intimate setting, so you feel like you’re in with the action, or part of the story, because you’re sitting at the same level as the actors and dancers,” said Trevor Downey, artistic director of the show and owner of Warren County Theatre Project and Dancekids Studio.

We are telling the classic story of The Nutcracker through dance, mainly ballet, he said.

Mica Glaser-Jones, owner of The Windamere Event Center, said the show has a lot of moving parts from Christmas trees and tables to the actors and dancers.

“The cool thing about how this ballet is set up is it’s in-the-round, so they are performing on our dance floor. Ticketholders will be sitting on three sides of the dance floor. Then, the actors and dancers come in from all four corners of the room. So, you’re immersed in the experience,” Glaser-Jones said.

Tickets range from $20 to $35.

Downey said while the show is a traditional story that everyone knows and loves, they have made some changes to make the production more modern and inclusive.

“We’ve taken the second act, which usually is a very traditional part of the story, where it’s different countries represented, and we thought we would take a different approach to make it a little bit more culturally appropriate for this day and age. So, we have redesigned and reimagined the second act to be more Candyland themed. Instead of doing countries, we have different types of candy that will be dancing and celebrating Clara,” Downey said.

With more than 20 dancers in the show, the cast members range in age from three-years-old to 21-years-old. A few of the leading cast members include Olivia Rich and Ella Edwards (as Clara,) Ellie Ferraro (as Sugar Plum Fairy,) Sky Shaw Smyth (as Fritz,) Jenna Blinkiewicz (Nutcracker,) Maxwell Posa-Collins (Mouse King,) Phillip Smyth (as Drosselmeyer,) Ava Howe (as Cavalier) and Zoe Bees (as Snow Queen,) among others.

The show will portray The Nutcracker in entirety, so audiences can expect to see the full story. Told in two acts with an intermission, each act runs about 45 minutes long. The characters will be dressed in colorful costumes. Special effects will include smoke and snow, along with professional lighting. Many of the dancers are students at Lebanon’s Dancekids Studio.


How to go

What: The Nutcracker

When: 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, noon Sunday

Where: The Windamere Event Venue, 2 S. Main St., Middletown

Cost: Tickets range from $20 to $35 and are available online at eventbrite.com/cc/the-nutcracker-at-the-windamere-1285419

More info: facebook.com/warrencountytheatreproject

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