Georgia Magazine - December 2019 - 21

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Left: Katherine Whitlock (as Clara) accepts a nutcracker
figurine from Hadley Campbell (portraying Herr
Drosselmeyer) in the Statesboro performance of "The
Nutcracker." Campbell has performed in the show for the
last six years, and this year three of his granddaughters
are also in the show. Bottom left: Young performers
dressed as mice dance around Clara in the Statesboro
School of Dance's "Nutcracker" performance in 2018.

Macon's performances-many of them returning
each year to witness the magic. The last few years,
well-known local men have surprised the crowds
by playing Mother Ginger, a beloved character who
eases on stage wearing a wide skirt that hides a host
of young dancers.
"One year, local Chief Meteorologist Ben Jones
from WMAZ-TV was Mother Ginger," she says.
"Another time, Jim Crisp, founding artistic director of
Theatre Macon, helped us out."
Sheridan is particularly proud of their community-outreach campaign, "Nutcracker Gives Back."
"Our dancers ring the bell for The Salvation
Army," she says. "They wrap and deliver presents
to the Methodist Home for Children and Youth and
they dress in their costumes and visit with children
battling cancer at Jay's HOPE Foundation's Christmas party."

Set to the familiar musical score by Russian
composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, "The Nutcracker"
begins on Christmas Eve, as Clara's eccentric godfather presents her with a wooden nutcracker doll. She
and her brother fight over the figurine and break it, but
her godfather mends it.
After bedtime, Clara creeps downstairs to check
on her new toy. The clock strikes midnight, and the
toys under the tree spring to life. The now-life-size
Nutcracker leads toy soldiers in a battle against the
Mouse King and mischievous mice. Clara strikes the
Mouse King, which breaks a magic spell and turns the
Nutcracker into a handsome young man-her godfather's nephew, who had been
cursed years before. Clara, the
young man and her godfather travel to faraway lands.
Clara eventually floats
back to bed. When she
wakes the next morning,
she wonders if it was all a
dream.
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The story of 'The
Nutcracker'

In Dalton, the show must go on
In Dalton, spectators who bring canned
food donations to a showing of "The Nutcracker" receive $1 off their tickets.
"And we perform a free showing of 'The
Nutcracker' for all fourth-graders in our public
school system," says Berrien Long, director of the
Dalton Arts Project, daltonartsproject.org/
nutracker, which has organized the ballet for
more than 25 years. "We provide study guides to the
teachers in advance so they can talk about it in class
before the performance, and that helps the students
understand the story. For some of them, it's the only
live production with professional sets and costumes
they will ever see."
The 350 cast members and dozens of volunteers
come from throughout Northwest Georgia.
"Some of the dancers from our first performances
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Georgia Magazine - December 2019

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