The Nutcracker
Produced by Beyond the Barre, LLC.
Written by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
For this production of The Nutcracker, I collaborated with a small ballet studio working on a tight budget. My role was to bring the story to life through creative and resourceful scenic design. From crafting intricate details for the party scene to engineering functional set pieces, I balanced aesthetics, practicality, and historical accuracy to meet the production’s needs.
A standout challenge was designing and fabricating a tapping platform for the Toy Soldier scene. The platform needed to be lightweight, easily transportable, and sturdy enough to support a dancer while amplifying the sound of tap shoes. I constructed a rolling wooden platform and styled it to resemble a drum, fitting for the Toy Soldier. The cosmetic details—made from carpet, ribbon, glossy paper, and E6000 glue—were attached with Velcro, enabling the studio to repurpose the platform for future productions.
For the party scene, I worked to create historically accurate table settings for a wealthy family in the 1800s. I crafted popcorn and cotton candy out of insulation foam and created extravagant cakes using cardboard boxes and low-weight spackle. I also fabricated donuts out of pool noodles, cornstarch, and glitter, achieving a whimsical and eye-catching look. The cups posed a unique challenge due to the large cast, mostly children, who frequently interacted with the props. To ensure both durability and authenticity, I used resin, dye, and mica powder to create "filled" cups and added magnets to secure them to trays.
