‘The Nutcracker Cracked Up’

An original work by Olympic Theatre Arts and Sequim Ballet

When: 6:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. on Sundays, from Dec. 7-9 and 14-16

Where: Olympic Theatre Arts main stage, 414 N. Sequim Ave.

Tickets: $12 adults/general admission, $10 OTA members and students with ID, available 1-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, at OTA theater box office, 414 N. Sequim Ave., online at olympictheatrearts.org

Olympic Theatre Arts and Sequim Ballet come together for an original twist on a timeless Christmas classic with “The Nutcracker Cracked Up.”

The show is an adaptation of the traditional “Nutcracker” with the scripts written by Olympic Theatre Arts executive director Carol Willis and Sequim Ballet instructor Laurel Hererra with director Tavin Dotson.

“It’s very entertaining and unexpected,” Carol Willis said.

Performances run from Dec. 7-9 and Dec. 14-16 at Olympic Theatre Arts, 414 N. Sequim Ave.

The show includes beginning and advanced ballet dancers from Hererra’s Sequim Ballet classes, with narrator Madelyn Pickens, 15, and a cast of characters from Olympic Theatre Arts (OTA).

Hererra says her dancers are performing to traditional “Nutcracker” music and choreography but there are some comical elements integrated into the show.

“There’s a lot of funny parts in it,” she said.

This is the first time Sequim Ballet and OTA have come together for a show with both dancers and actors.

“It’s very challenging and interesting to be integrating dance with the spoken word,” Willis said in a press release.

“It should prove to be a wonderful learning experience for both actors and dancers in discovering some different methods of storytelling. We are excited to be a part of it.”

Pickens, also a child actress, said this is her second time cast as a narrator for a show — she narrated “Sleeping Beauty” in March.

Hererra said when she was writing the script for this how, she kept Pickens’ voice in mind.

“I could hear her voice in my head,” Hererra said.

“I love acting,” Pickens said. “Tavin is a great director and the combination of dancers and actors is a cool, fun experience.”

Tickets are $12 for adults and general admission and $10 for OTA members and students with I.D., available from 1-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, at the theater box office, 414 N. Sequim Ave., or online at olympictheatrearts.org.

For more information, call the box office at 360-683-7326.

Sequim Ballet dancers, from back left, Saige Turner, Eleanor Byrne, Kate D’Amico, Abby Henning, and Madisyn Rayburn, practice a ballet number from “The Nutcracker Cracked Up” a show that combines both ballet and acting. Sequim Gazette photo by Erin Hawkins