Sat 12/10 @ 2PM & 8PM
Fri 12/16 @ 8PM
Sat 12/17 @ 3PM
So many Nutcrackers to choose from! Last year we found a lot to like in Neos Dance Theatre’s A 1940’s Nutcracker, a nostalgic look at the town of Mansfield and its people that managed to fit everything into the traditional Tchaikovsky score. Even though we have no connections to Mansfield and only the haziest memories of that decade, the Neos production struck a chord with us. Multimedia projections of Mansfield’s buildings and places played a huge role in the success of last year’s A 1940’s Nutcracker.
But this year Neos received a grant from Richland County Foundation and ploughed it back into something called projection mapping. To get a better idea what to expect from this year’s production we called up Bobby Wesner, Neos’ co-founder and artistic director.
CC: Why a Nutcracker set in the 1940s?
BW: I wanted to make a production of The Nutcracker that was tangible, recognizable in our culture. As I thought about how we celebrate Christmas — about Santa Claus, family gatherings, the Macy’s parade, the Salvation Army and all the bells on the street — I began to feel that the early 1940s with all those iconic Christmas movies was a pivotal point. We look back and remember but we still have a lot in common with it.
CC: What difference does the new technology make?
BW: We’ve used projection mapping to create more depth onstage. Last year we had a single projector and a single image at the back of the stage but now with the new technology we have multiple screens and multiple projectors and visual effects and animation. That means we’re better able to tell the audience where the actors and dancers are, whether they’re on the street or inside a house or wherever.
CC: Last year the projections were simply vintage photographs of Mansfield buildings and places but what you’re doing this year sounds much more complex.
BW: Yes. Andy Gardner and Kathy Hilton have been working for months getting this just right. We’ve taken those photographs, done more research and found more photographs. In some cases we’ve been able to find the original buildings and photograph them from different angles. Then Kathy has created hand-drawn renderings and Andy has taken those drawings to create a 3D effect.
CC: Your press materials mention animation.
BW: Last year you’ll remember how the Christmas tree grew. That was animation. But this year we’ve used animation throughout the production, using the hand drawings from different angles to build a virtual Mansfield so it’s almost like we’re driving through downtown, passing iconic buildings and places.
Also this year we’ve been able to dive deeper into the design aspects. So now the first act is in black and white and sepia tones — kind of tipping our hat to It’s a Wonderful Life and all those iconic Christmas movies of the 1940’s — and the second act goes into vivid color, almost a Wizard of Oz effect.
CC: Your press materials mentioned live music but Neos is performing in Findlay as well as Mansfield. For the sake of our readers, let’s be very clear and specific regarding which assets will be part of which performance.
BW: I’m glad you asked this! Mansfield Symphony Orchestra will play for both of the Mansfield performances but not for the Findlay performances. We will use projection mapping in the exact same way in both Mansfield and Findlay but we’ve tailored the images, animation and visual effects to highlight each community. For example, department stores in the downtown area were a mainstay in the 1940s; in Mansfield we’ve built a 3D animation of the exterior of the M. O’Neil Company and in Findlay we’ve built it for Patterson’s Department Store.
CC: Tell us more about the Mansfield performances with the live orchestra.
BW: Last year, with recorded music and simpler projections, we just pushed PLAY and everything ran out of the same playback system. Music and film were very easily synced. This year the person running the media playback file is like another person in the orchestra in that he’ll be taking his cues from the conductor. That way the conductor can respond to the dancers and make allowances when the audience claps or laughs. So what we’re doing this year is very different from a movie where there’s no give and take with the reactions of a live audience. It’s the best of both worlds and the biggest thing that the grant has enabled us to do.
Of course, it’s a lot of homework for the conductor.
CC: So, who is the conductor for the Mansfield performances of A 1940’s Nutcracker?
BW: We have a conductor with a history of working with film and animation, Norman Huynh. You need someone like him because there’s a learning curve, orchestras are expensive, and you have to turn around your show really fast.
CC: Any new tidbits from local history?
BW: Last year, you’ll remember, one of the variations in the party scene represented Jane Jacobs Badini of Cuyahoga Falls, a baseball player from the World War II era American Girls Professional Baseball League. She’s back, but the party scene traditionally has two variations so this year we have added dancer Brian Jones in the role of Carl Bachman, a local basketball coach who started the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association and led the Trojans to five undefeated regular seasons!
CC: There’s already a lot that’s new, but what else is new this year?
BW: We’ve made changes and additions in terms of choreography and dancers. For instance, when Mae West dances to the Arabian variation, she’s now accompanied by her “boys,” one of whom is our guest artist from Hubbard Street 2, Katlin Michael Bourgeoise.
And, considering the production as a whole, it’s always a pleasure to see how people grow and change from year to year.
CC: For sure. As much as we enjoy watching a DVD of Nutcracker, there’s a special pleasure to seeing a local company that we’ve known throughout the year.
Neos Dance Theatre performs A 1940’s Nutcracker with the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, with guest conductor Norman Huyhn, at the Renaissance Performing Arts Center on Sat 12/10 @ 2pm & 8pm. Tickets are $19-50.
Neos also performs A 1940’s Nutcracker with special guests from the Findlay Academy of Ballet at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts on Fri 12/16 @ 8pm and Sat 12/17 @ 3pm. Tickets are $20-45.
[Written by Elsa Johnson and Victor Lucas]
Findlay, OH 45840