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 presents

CAROLINA
A
NUTCRACKER Saturday December 1st 7 pm
Sunday December 2nd 3 pm
Wilson Center
Wilmington North Carolina

Music by
Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky

Directed and Choreographed by

Andrea C. Hill

Conducted by
Alex E. Hill

with the
City Ballet Orchestra
and Treble Chorus

Adapted from the tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann and the ballet by

Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
 We’re delighted that you’ve joined us for this very
special event. A Carolina Nutcracker is a production
which is both very old and very new, and we hope
you’ll see the beloved holiday ballet in an entirely
new light. It was many years in the making – about
200, to be exact!
The original story was penned in 1816 by the
gentleman at right – Ernst Theodor Amadeus
(E.T.A. to his friends) Hoffmann. A writer, artist,
composer, and critic, Hoffmann was one of the most influential figures in the
German Romantic movement. His story Nussknacker und Mausekönig
(Nutcracker and Mouseking) is not nearly as well-known as the famous ballet
which is loosely based upon it.
Surprisingly, that ballet was panned by critics at its St.
Petersburg premiere in 1892. Even though they praised
the score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (the gentleman at
left), they felt the adaptation was not faithful to E.T.A.
Hoffmann’s story, particularly in the elimination of one of
its most important plot devices – the “story within a story”
called “The Hard Nut.” In order to keep the ballet in two
acts, choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov cut
the little fable which gave meaning to the characters.
Fast-forward over 100
years to 1996. Ballet teacher and choreographer
Andrea C. Hill (that’s her on the right), created
a production of The Nutcracker which utilized an
important innovation – a spoken prologue telling
the fable “The Hard Nut” from Hoffmann’s
original 1816 tale. Since opening the City Ballet
in 2011, Andrea has staged “The Nutcracker”
nearly every season. Now in this 10th Anniversary
Season – 25 years after staging “The Nutcracker”
for the first time and after 30 years of teaching
and choreographing – Andrea Hill and City
Ballet bring you this new production!
It’s a ballet specially made just for you and your family, presented by
Wilmington’s own City Ballet. We hope you make it a holiday tradition!
Russian (Trepak) Helen Hill & Justin Russell
Arabian (Coffee) Niena Dailey, with Emiko Andrews, Eva Bingham,
Emily Sause, Anna Trask
Carriage Ride Julia Gualdi, Ava Henderson, Destry Larson, Miette Madi,
Gabrielle Markfield, Kayden McCubbins, Bella Ovacz,
Reese Walton, Willow Wells
Carolers * Elaina Getty, Savannah Gibbs, Itzelle Heinberg,
Sara Mallalieu, Imogen Marino, Emily McElwee,
Katie Rhyne, Cora Roemer, Nicole Western, Callie Willis
Waltz of the Azaleas
Dewdrop Elizabeth Maners
Pink Flowers Janey Bishop, Matalin Bloomfield, Savannah Cherry,
Ana Johnson
Green Flowers Grace Berry, Lucy Collins, Annika Olsen, Emily Powell, Cate
Skiles, Rylie Kate Watson
Garlands Gillian Bohannon, Sara Cho Duffield, Annabelle Cox,
Lily Cox, Grace Franklin, Sofie Frueh, Charlotte Lautenbach,
Madeleine McNamara
Young Ladies (2 pm) Hadley Allison, Lua Altman, Salome Andrade,
Josephine Barbour, Ada Berry, Ella Covington,
Emma Franklin, Isabella Franklin, Freya Roeske,
Nina Manning
(7 pm) Noa Bean, Sophie Bowman, Samira Cubas,
Ansley Gavrillen, Grace Kronenwetter, Molly Ihnat,
Camille Ott, Sarah Sears, Adair Thompson
Boys at Party West Altman, Brady Bussert, Oliver Lindquist,
Owen Thiessen, Brody Walton
ACT I SCENE 2 – Later that night
Rat King Justin Russell (Sat.), Nick Hill (Sun.)
Rats Grace Berry, Matalin Bloomfield, Helen Hill, Annika Olsen,
Cate Skiles, Ila Smith, Bella Warner, Rylie Kate Watson
Flag Bearers Emiko Andrews, Eva Bingham, Anna Reign Parker,
Emily Sause, Adelaide Smith, Anna Trask
Soldiers Ezra Heinberg, Ali Balbuena, Niena Dailey,
Mackenzie Hood, Ana Johnson, Elizabeth Maners,
Tori Maners, Sage Pasch, Amelia Smith

ACT I SCENE 3 – In a snowy pine forest

Snowflakes Matalin Bloomfield, Niena Dailey, Hayden Hill,
Helen Hill, Mackenzie Hood, Elizabeth Maners
Ali Balbuena, Janey Bishop, Savannah Cherry,
Ana Johnson, Tori Maners, Sage Pasch, Bella Santos, Amelia
Smith, Ila Smith, Bella Warner
Snow Angels (Sat & Sun) Emma Ashley, Lillian DeVoid,
Forbes Hergenrader, Bellatrix LaCoss, Shannon Piepgrass, Ava
Porrata, Ashlyn Risley
(Sun only) Sophie Bowman, Shelby Caulder, Molly Ihnat, Liza
Gray Nunnelee, Carter Shipley
ACT II – In an enchanted “Land of Sweets”
Sugar Plum Fairy Jan Burkhard (guest artist)
Spanish (Chocolate) Mackenzie Hood & Nick Hill
Marzipan Hayden Hill, with Matalin Bloomfield, Sage Pasch,
Amelia Smith, Ila Smith
Italian Tarantella Ali Balbuena & Ezra Heinberg
Chinese (Tea) Tori Maners
(Ribbons) Adelaide Smith, Elizabeth Tyndall
(Parasols) Callie Rose Gallagher, Hadley Gavrillen,
June Guggenheimer, Mary Kate Jorgensen, Sofia Lukasik,
Rayden Sharpe-Vigneri, Sophia Smiarowski,
Perry Thompson, Ava Wiggins, Jaylin Wilson
 presents

THE
NUTCRACKER
Ballet in Two Acts with Prologue
with the City Ballet Orchestra and Treble Chorus
Saturday December 1st 7:00 pm
Sunday December 2nd 3:00 pm
Wilson Center – Cape Fear Community College
Downtown Wilmington NC
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Original 1892 scenario by Marius Petipa & Lev Ivanov
Based on a short story by Alexandre Dumas, pére
After “Nussknacker und Mausekönig” (1816) by E.T.A. Hoffmann
New adaptation by Andrea C. Hill & Alex E. Hill

Choreographed by Conducted by
Andrea C. Hill Alex E. Hill
Lighting by Stage Managed by
Aaron Willings Alan Gerberg
Costumes by
Gray Hunter, Julie Moore, & Elaine Clyatt

www.cityballetofwilmington.org
We’re delighted that you’ve joined us for this very special event. A Carolina
Nutcracker is a production which is both very old and very new, and we hope
you’ll see the beloved holiday ballet in an entirely new light. It was many years
in the making – about 200, to be exact!
The original story was penned in 1816 by the
gentleman at right – Ernst Theodor Amadeus
(E.T.A. to his friends) Hoffmann. A writer,
artist, composer, and critic, Hoffmann was one of
the most influential figures in the German
Romantic movement. His story Nussknacker und
Mausekönig (Nutcracker and Mouseking) is not
nearly as well-known as the famous ballet which
is loosely based upon it.
Surprisingly, that ballet was panned by critics at its St.
Petersburg premiere in 1892. Even though they praised
the score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (the gentleman at
left), they felt the adaptation was not faithful to E.T.A.
Hoffmann’s story, particularly in the elimination of one of
its most important plot devices – the “story within a story”
called “The Hard Nut.” In order to keep the ballet in two
acts, choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov cut
the little fable which gave meaning to the characters.
Fast-forward over 100
years to 1996. Ballet teacher and choreographer
Andrea C. Hill (that’s her on the right), created a
production of The Nutcracker which utilized an
important innovation – a spoken prologue telling
the fable “The Hard Nut” from Hoffmann’s
original 1816 tale. Upon relocating to Wilmington
in 2010, Andrea decided to stage the beloved
ballet as historical fiction, preserving
Tchaikovsky’s sumptuous music, Hoffmann’s
rich story of redemption and unconditional love,
and setting it just after the Civil War in 1865 in Wilmington.
It’s a ballet specially made just for you and your family, presented by
Wilmington’s own City Ballet. We hope you make it a holiday tradition!

CAST OF CHARACTERS (in order of appearance)

 PROLOGUE – The Hard Nut 克拉卡圖克
King & Queen Tyler Hill, Sara Mallalieu
Princess Pirlipat Lillian Devoid (young), Emily Powell (older)
Christian Elias Drosselmeier Justin Russell
Dame Mouserinks Lucy Collins
Mice Meghan Cimino, Sofia Freuh,
Charlotte Lautenbach, Ella Lewis,
Gabrielle Markfield
Courtiers Gillian Bohannon, Itzelle Heinberg,
Sophia Smiarowski, Zella Whitacre
Nutcracker Jadon Varnam (2 pm), Joe Maguire (7 pm)
ACT I SCENE 1 – A Christmas Party at the Stahlbaum Home
Marie Stahlbaum Mary Kate Jorgensen (2 pm)
Savannah Gibbs (7 pm)
Dr. & Frau Stahlbaum Scott Powell, Terri Powell
Godfather Drosselmeier Justin Russell
Louise Stahlbaum Matalin Bloomfield
Kurt Stahlbaum Ezra Heinberg
Fritz Stahlbaum Sadler Selby
Ernst Hoffmann Tyler Hill
Herr Siebenköpfe Joshua Wise
Frau Erzieherin Katie Marino
Frau Erzieherin’s Assistant Grace Helbig
Louise’s Friends Grace Berry, Cora Roemer, Rylie Watson,
Abigail Whitlow
Marie’s Friends (2 pm) Annabelle Cox, Grace Franklin,
Rose Gallagher, Hadley Gavrillen,
June Guggenheimer, Ava Wiggins
(7 pm) Annabelle Cox, Grace Franklin,
Hadley Gavrillen, Sofia Lukasik,
Madeleine McNamara, Jaylin Wilson
Blind Man’s Bluff Sadler Selby, with Megan Moyer, Noelle Miles, Noah
Smiarowski
Young Students (2 pm) Evie Gregory, Zelie Quaranto,
Mara Resnais-Dattilo, Ella Mai Frueh,
Eleanor Romadka

Special Roles behind the scenes…

Ballet Mistress Diane Orio-Gerberg
Technical Assistance Michael Epting & Robert Coluccio (Wilson Center)
Costume Assistants Angela Bingham, Jennifer Bishop, Julie Collins,
Megan Gavrillen, Kelly Helbig, Julie Nichols, Ty Parker,
Emily Powell, Terri Powell, Olessia Roth,
Shannon Risley, Katherine Whitlow
Rehearsal Assistants Hayden Hill, Helen Hill, Nicholas Hill, Merlee Hill,
Elizabeth Maners, Tori Maners, Diane Orio-Gerberg
Videography Robin Dale Robertson (DVD order through City Ballet)
Photography Merlee Hill Photography
In-Kind Sponsors First Baptist Church / Steven Thomason (Timpani)
Springbrook Farms (Carriage)

Guest Artists
Jan Burkhard (Sugar Plum Fairy), began her professional training at the School
of American Ballet in New York at the age of 9. She
performed numerous ballets with New York City Ballet
and was involved in the New York Choreographic
Institute. Upon completion, she was also the recipient of
the Mae L. Wien Award in 2005 for Most Outstanding
Promise. In the fall of 2005, she became a member of
Carolina Ballet’s corps de ballet. In 2009, she was
nominated for the Princess Grace award. She rose through
the ranks and was promoted to Principal in 2011. She has
performed principal roles including Princess Aurora,
Juliet, Firebird, Sugar Plum Fairy, and Giselle, as well as
many roles by George Balanchine and other
choreographers. She is a permanent guest instructor at City Ballet.

Adam Crawford Chavis (Drosselmeyer) is a native of Fayetteville, NC, and

received his professional training at the North Carolina
School of the Arts in Winston-Salem and the School of
American Ballet in New York City. He joined Carolina
Ballet in August 2009, and rose to the rank of soloist
before his retirement from the company in spring 2017.
Adam has choreographed several ballets, one for NCSA
(spring workshop in 2008) and one at SAB (student
choreographic workshop in 2009). In 2009 he was
chosen to dance for the New York Choreographic
Institute. Adam is a regular instructor at the City Ballet.

A Carolina Nutcracker – a brief synopsis

(Prologue) Ellen Douglass Bellamy is the last member of her family residing in the
Bellamy Mansion, outliving six brothers and three sisters. Never married, Ellen
has lived alone for most of her later years, assisted by well-meaning friends. She
has never forgotten the experience of living through the War Between the States
and its aftermath in Wilmington. Ellen recalls a Christmas party at their home just
after moving back into their mansion in 1865. Before the party, she and her friend
Josie hear a strange story from Mr. Drosselmeyer, a tenant in the carriage house.
(Act I Scene 1) A Christmas party is in full swing at the Bellamy mansion in
December 1865. Dr. Bellamy, his wife Eliza, and their children welcome some
Wilmington friends: Zebulon and Elizabeth Latimer and their young son, Herbert;
a teacher and some young girls from the boarding school run by Mr. and Mrs.
Robert Ransom; and various friends of the Bellamy children. Also attending is the
eccentric Mr. Drosselmeyer, a former blockade running sailor who lives in the
carriage house. Drosselmeyer presents a wooden Nutcracker to Ellen, who is quite
smitten by it. He has also brought a small band of “belsnickels” (mummers), who
act out a little fable about a Mouse Queen, a selfish princess, and the Nutcracker
soldier. Ellen’s mischievous brother George is jealous of the little toy, and breaks
it out of spite, and Drosselmeyer assures Ellen that he will fix it up. The girl falls
asleep, but just as Drosselmeyer is sneaking out with the Nutcracker, Ellen follows
him out.
Act I Scene 2) As she looks for her beloved little wooden Nutcracker, Ellen sees
Drosselmeyer acting strangely. She comes face to face with a dream – her
Nutcracker come to life – and a nightmare – Yankee soldiers in her home! The
place is also filled with marauding mice led by a fearsome Mouse King, intent on
killing her beloved Nutcracker soldier. In the heat of the battle, Ellen helps the
Nutcracker defeat the Mouse King, and the nightmare clears away leaving her
alone with Drosselmeyer and Nutcracker. The young Nutcracker prince pledges
his love for her, calling her to make a difficult choice.
(Act I Scene 3) As Ellen, Nutcracker, and Drosselmeyer steal away into the
Carolina pine forest, snow begins to swirl about them. Led by the light of little
snow angels, the three make their way off into the snowy night.
(Act II) At dawn, the trio finds their way into an enchanted kingdom where they
are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy and her retinue of exotic treats – Cocoa, Tea,
Coffee, and Marzipan. In this land, carolers sing and even the azaleas dance to
entertain Ellen and her Nutcracker Prince. Finally, the Sugar Plum Fairy and
Drosselmeyer dance a farewell “pas de deux” and depart together, leaving Ellen
and her Nutcracker to rule in this enchanted land where there are endless joys,
never a threat of war, and a perpetual happy childhood.

A few of the historical characters in this production

John Dillard Bellamy, MD. – Before the war Dr. Bellamy left the medical
profession to focus on planting crops and
manufacturing turpentine. He was one of
Wilmington’s wealthiest men and his lovely home
on Market Street was completed in 1861. After the
war he had to travel to Washington D.C. to acquire a
pardon, which opened the way for the family to move
back into their beloved home. He and his wife Eliza
had nine children.
Ellen Douglass Bellamy was the fifth child and third
daughter of John and Eliza
Bellamy. She never married, and lived to the ripe old age of
93! Between 1937 and 1940, Ellen compiled her memoirs,
titled Back With the Tide, focusing particularly on the Civil
War years and their aftermath in Wilmington. Like many
who grew up in privilege in the South, Ellen longed for the
simpler, more genteel days of antebellum North Carolina.
We are honored that Wilmington’s own Nan Graham,
author of several books and specialist in all things Southern,
has given Ellen a voice in the “Prologue.”
Mr. and Mrs. Zebulon Latimer – The Latimers had a
beautiful house built for them by the same person who later designed the
Bellamy Mansion and Thalian Hall – architect James F. Post. The Latimers were
not as blessed with children, however. Their first four all died before reaching
the age of five. Finally, their son Herbert broke their streak of sorrow and lived
to the ripe old age of 26. Life was much more difficult in the 1800s.
Belsnickels were 18th and 19th century costumed entertainers similar to
“mummers” (the practice is retained in many
festival traditions around the world). During the
Christmas season, these masked groups would go
house to house, singing or dancing for food or
money. The character of Belsnickel (an
alternative to Santa Claus in some cultures) often
brandished a whip. The tradition of
“Belsnickling” came to America with German
immigrants like Drosselmeyer, many of whom
came to sea ports like Wilmington in the 1800s.

The City Ballet Treble Chorus

Angela Daughtry – Chorus Master; Jennifer Mueske - Coordinator
 Meara Chodnicki, Grace Clavadetscher, Donielle Clyatt,
Noelle Easterling, Clare Falco, Hayley Goldberg, Layla Jarman, Emma
Messina, Britany Pollock, Nya Scott, Lara Simpson,
Mia Vogelsong, Ashley Wells

The City Ballet Orchestra

Alex E. Hill, Music Director