19th Nutcracker leaps to Theatre Dublin: Local dancers share perspectives on weekend show

DUBLIN, Ga. — The stage is set and ready for Theatre Dublin’s 19th production of “The Nutcracker” this weekend.

Robin Middleton returns for her 11th year as the executive director and choreographer of the show, which will be performed Saturday, Dec. 9, at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. 

Before the curtain rises for the Saturday afternoon show, they will have two school shows for fourth graders from local schools, as well as from surrounding counties on Friday.

“I always look forward to these, seeing the kids and their reactions,” said Middleton, who added that these shows are not the full production certain scenes. “They’ll clap, ‘ooh’ and ‘aww.’ I just love to hear them and watch them watch the show. For some of these kids, this is the only live theater they have ever seen and that’s always special for us.”

While there are many dancers and participants from the Dublin, Laurens County area, there are others who drive from a significant distance to be involved in this production of “The Nutcracker.”

“A lot of our people are coming from out of town from Macon, Warner Robins and Sandersville,” Middleton said. “They are driving over every weekend that we have practice to come and do this show. That’s exciting for us. We do have people from here, too. 

“I love this because all of these kids from the different studios and towns are usually competing against one another in competitive dance. But this one time of the year, we can all come together and be part of the Dublin Nutcracker family, and that is special to us.” 

Bevie Burk, who plays “Clara,” is from Pinehurst.

“I went to tryouts and I felt the judges had a connection with me,” Burk said. “I practiced at my studio with my teacher and she knows a lot about ‘The Nutcracker.’ I kept on practicing, and I got the role. I was surprised because there was a lot of people who auditioned.” 

The show begins with Clara’s family holding a party.

“She gets a Nutcracker, which is a wooden doll,” Burk said. “She’s really happy. There are other dolls, and the Nutcracker comes alive. … The show is really fun to watch. You’ll want to watch it over and over again.” 

Emmie Davis, from Cochran, has been a ballet dancer for 14 years and has been participating in this production of “The Nutcracker” for seven years. She fell in love with “The Nutcracker” the first time she saw it when she was 4.

“My parents were able to put me in it a couple of years later,” Davis said. “I love dancing in front of a packed crowd. (Theatre Dublin) has become my second home.”

Davis will have multiple parts in this show. Since being involved with the Theatre Dublin production of The Nutcracker, Davis has made many friendships. 

“It’s like a family reunion,” she said. “We are all a big family. We’ve had sleepovers. After the dress rehearsals we’ll have a cast party. It’s amazing.” 

One of her friends is Imani Blue, from Perry.

“Two years ago we really connected from that first practice,” Blue said. “I was a really wild kid, and my parents said that I needed to do something. They put me in dance, and it is my dream to get into a professional company.”

Blue, who also has many roles in the production, calls “The Nutcracker” a “magical” show.

“It’s good to be able to connect with everybody on the stage,” Blue said.

Kenzie Burkart, from Perry, is glad to be involved in “The Nutcracker.” She also has multiple roles but her favorite is being “Bo Peep.”

“She has a lot of sheep, and some of the girls are my sheep,” Burkart said. “There’s a black sheep, and the black sheep causes problems throughout the dance. It’s supposed to be funny.”  

Addyson Upton, from Sandersville, is returning as the “Rat Queen.”

“I’m the villain in ‘The Nutcracker’ and I have this big battle with ‘The Nutcracker,’” Upton said. “It’s super fun.” 

Upton has been involved in the production for three years. She saw the poster for auditions and knew Middleton, who is a teacher at her school.

“I thought, ‘Why not?’ I came out to see what I could get,” Upton said. “It has been a bunch of fun.” 

Willa Kehayes will perform as the “Snow Queen” while Caleb Middleton returns to star as the “Prince” and Brittany Hobbs returns as “The Nutcracker.”

Professional ballet dancers Stacey Slichter of Atlanta, who will play the “Sugar Plum Fairy,” and Raul Peinado of New York, who will star as the “Snow King” and the “Cavalier,” are also coming back.

This year’s board includes Matt Hatchett (chairman), Lori Cherry (treasurer), Griffin Lovett (treasurer emeritus), Amanda Goodson, Kristy Farmer, Kim Hatchett, Kim Hobbs, Kathy Jones, Leigh Anne Lawrence, Sallie Lunzmann and Jared Middleton. 

Auditions were held in August and practice began soon after that. Now, the finish line is within sight. 

“This week will be super busy, but we can sort of start having a little bit more fun,” Middleton said. “There some pranks and games played, and everybody starts having a good time. I love this week, even though it is a little bit hard.” 

They have started to work on the transitions from scene to scene and working with props.

“For the most part we’re done,” Middleton said. “We have work in these small stages, and now we’ve got to work from one part to the next part.”

For tickets, visit the Theatre Dublin website theatredublinga.com. Tickets are getting sparse for the first and third shows, while the second show still has some seats.

“If they want tickets, they need to do it fast,” Middleton said.

For 19 years, “The Nutcracker” has been a hit at Theatre Dublin. When the cast takes their final bows at the end of the show Sunday afternoon, the curtain will fall on this year’s production. And after a little break, work on the 20th production will start.

“We are super excited, and we already have big plans,” Middleton said about next year’s 20th anniversary. “Lots of people can’t say they’ve done something for 20 years. We’ve had board members who have been there for 20 years, since Day 1. 

“We’ll take a little time off during the holidays, and pretty quickly we’ll get back in there and look at costumes and try to figure out what we’ll change getting ready for this big 20th year.”

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