Volunteer Needs. Peoria Ballet Presents The Nutcracker. Cast & Parent Handbook. All volunteers can sign-up online through VolunteerSpot.com.

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1 Volunteer Needs All volunteers can sign-up online through VolunteerSpot.com. Backstage /Props Crew: If you like to wear black this is the job for you! Make sure props are in working order and in the correct spot. You may also act as a dresser for dancers with quick changes. No time theater week? Then refurbish props at the studio. Peoria Ballet Presents The Nutcracker Cast Party &/or Friends of Marie Party: Help plan, set up, and take down the cast party and/or the Friends of Marie studio party.! Chaperones at the Studio: Help to keep the children quiet and occupied while waiting during longer studio rehearsals. Chaperones at the Theater: Help dress children in their costumes, escort them to the stage to perform, and keep them content in the dressing room. You will also need to hang up costumes and keep the dressing room tidy! Costumes: If you re creative and organized this is the place for you. Some sewing is helpful, but not mandatory! Great things can be done with glue too! Costume crews work during rehearsals. Dressers for Picture Day: Help dancers dress in their costumes for pictures, hang up costumes and return them with all pieces to the costume team. Moving sets/costumes: Load the truck with sets and costumes at the Peoria Ballet and unload at the Civic Center. Then reload and unload after the performance. Nutcracker Souvenir Boutique- Help sell ballet related items in the lobby of the Peoria Civic Center before the performances and at intermission. A mini-boutique is open during Friends of Marie. Sugarplum Snack Shop: Aid in setting up, donating treats, and selling snacks for the dancers during rehearsals Saturdays at the studio. Cast & Parent Handbook 12

2 Main The Tradition For over thirty years, the Peoria Ballet has brought the E.T. Hoffman story of the Nutcracker to the Heart of Illinois. The production has become a holiday tradition for both dancers and audience members alike. This year s production promises some exciting new changes. Among the changes is the name of the lead character in the Nutcracker tale. In the original E.T. Hoffman short story of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, the Stalbaum s daughter was named Marie. Clara, however, was a doll that belonged to Marie. In subsequent adaptations of the story Marie became Clara and so too did the name change appear in many productions of the classic ballet. Changing back to the original name is just another way to revitalize the production and to bring the story back to it s roots. Each year the Peoria Ballet invites area school children to attend two daytime performances at a special rate. Thanks to these performances, Peoria Ballet received the 2012 Illinois Alliance for Arts Education award for contributions to and support of Arts Education. Help us continue this tradition by extending a personal invitation from your performer to his or her school. This booklet contains valuable information about the performance, rehearsals, attire and what s involved for each role. We thank you for making this production happen and hope that you have a fantastic time as part of our Nutcracker family tradition. 2 School Performance Lunch: Please send a sack lunch with your dancer for the school performances. Box lunches will be available for pre-order. Cast members and chaperones CANNOT leave the Civic Center between the school show performances. However, Mom or Dad can join their dancer for lunch outside the theater in the Exhibit Hall which functions as our dining hall for the day. Map To The Stage Door Map is not to scale and doesn t include all landmarks or parking. Note: Lots may charge up to $6 for parking. Wm. Kumpf Volunteers Stage Door SW Monroe Civic Center 11 Fulton Fulton NE Monroe Jefferson St. (One Way) Twin Towers Garage Friends & Family should volunteer 6 Hours Per Child. One of the most important roles in our Nutcracker is the support of our volunteers. A variety of opportunities are available from September-December, including some that can be done at home. Volunteer hours must be logged at the front desk of the ballet! We ask that you give 6 hours of volunteer time per child. The hours add up quickly making it an easy task to achieve and we have fun!! If you absolutely feel there is no time to volunteer a payment option of $40.00 per hour is available. This monetary amount is in keeping with the sum that is applied to volunteer hours for grant writing. All parents of dancers age 12 or younger are expected to chaperone during tech week. Friends & family members can do hours in lieu of a parent. Volunteer needs are listed on the back of this handbook.

3 Theater Week Theater week is a very exciting but hectic time. The dancers are moving into a new dance home with many things to get use to. Many of the level 3 and up dancers will be going directly from school to rehearsal for the class on stage. Double check the list of supplies to make sure you have everything. For the safety of the dancers and crew, the backstage area, dressing rooms and third floor hallways are for cast, crew, and chaperones only. Drop-off At The Theater: Everyone should enter through the Stage Door entrance (off of Monroe Ave.) Parents of children 11 or under should stay with their child until they are checked in at the table near the elevator. Children will be escorted upstairs by a chaperone or teen escort. Leave a cell phone number for pick up and let us know if you are carpooling. Parents are welcome to stay and watch rehearsals. However, young performers must stay with their chaperones at all times until they have been released for the night. In order to watch the final dress rehearsal on Friday evening, you must show a purchased ticket for one of the weekend performances. Pick Up: For children under 11, one parent may retrieve their child at the dressing room after rehearsals and shows. Cast members older than 11 will meet parents at the elevator on stage level. In order to avoid a backup, please ask all other family members/friends to wait for the dancer and parent in the hallway near the stage door. Please check out with your child s chaperone. School Performance: Area schools are invited to attend the school performance on Thursday, December 11. If you would like your child s school to attend, an or note from your student letting the principal and/or teacher know they are in the production is an added incentive to get the school to attend! This should be done soon so that busses may be procured. 10 Casting Casting decisions are made by the Artistic Director who must consider the specific needs of the entire performance. Cast members are expected to accept the roles in which they are cast and are encouraged to think in terms of dancing as a part of the complete production. Once casting is made, each cast member should sign and return their performance agreement along with a $75.00 performance fee. Contracts and fees should be turned in by Saturday, September 13th. Roles By Act Act One: Opening & Party Scene: Herr Drosselmeyer, Marie, Fritz, Herr & Frau Stahlbaum, Grandmother & Grandfather, Party Parents, Party Friends, Soldier Doll, Porcelain Dolls, Maids and/or Butlers Transition Scene: Herr Drosselmeyer, Marie, Soldier Doll, Porcelain Dolls, & Mice Battle Scene: Herr Drosselmeyer, Marie, Nutcracker Prince, Mouse King, Soldier Doll, Porcelain Dolls, Mice & Soldiers Snow Scene: Herr Drosselmeyer, Marie, Nutcracker Prince, Snow Queen & Snow Flakes Act Two: Opening: Herr Drosselmeyer, Marie, Nutcracker Prince, Angels, Seraphs, Sugar Plum, Cavalier & Divertissements Divertissements: Spanish, Arabian, Chinese, Russian, Marzipan, Mother Ginger with BonBons, Dew Drop & Flowers Finale: Herr Drosselmeyer, Marie, Lead Divertissements, Flowers, Sugar Plum & Cavalier Epilogue: Herr Drosselmeyer, Marie & Nutcracker Prince 3

4 Rehearsals Rehearsals for all levels will begin the week of September 8, Friday rehearsals for Snow & Flowers will be added to the schedule beginning on November 3, Additional rehearsals for upper level roles will be held on weekday evenings following scheduled class times. Remember, it is necessary for upper level students to take class prior to every rehearsal. Please check the rehearsal schedule handouts or our website at for rehearsal times. Schedules are subject to change according to the progression of the dancers in learning the steps. Please try to arrive with enough time to allow the cast member to change shoes, put coats away, and get into the studio. When we begin running the show, rehearsal lengths may vary. The Artistic Director will let the children go when he has finished the rehearsal. Sometimes this can take as little as 20 minutes or as long as several hours! If you do not plan to stay in the lobby or volunteer during rehearsals, please sign out at the desk and leave a cell phone number. We will call if they finish early. Let the desk staff know if you are carpooling as well. Attendance Policy: Please try to attend every rehearsal for your role. It s particularly important to be at the first rehearsal when places are set and choreography is first learned. Prior to October 31, 2014, two absences will be allowed. Please call the studio to let us know if your dancer will be missing rehearsal and the reason why. After October 31, absences may be excused on a case by case basis by the Artistic Director ONLY. Severe illness or injury with a doctor s note, lagging behind or failing in school, family emergencies (within reason), and planned vacations made several weeks or months prior to the October cutoff will be considered for excused absence if proper notice and documentation is provided. Unexcused absences after 10/31 will necessitate removal from the production. 4 Make Up Supply List Powder or Pancake Foundation Black Waterproof Mascara Brown Eyebrow Pencil Brown Eye Shadow (The three piece shadow kits with shades of beige and brown work nicely, particularly for older dancers, level 4 and up.) Lipstick, true red for women & girls (avoid the orangey reds), earthy flesh tones for men & boys False Eyelashes for females level 4 through adult Skin-tone Loose Powder to set the make up Make-up wipes for make up removal General Supplies: Make up kit, lots of bobby pins (you can t have too many), brush, hair ties, hair nets, hairspray, gel, and make-up wipes. Slippers, socks, or booties to be worn over ballet shoes when traveling to and from the stage (MUST be labeled). Robe, warm-ups, or similar to wear over nude leotards when not in costume. Any costume pieces, shoes, or hair accessories provided by the dancer, along with extra tights. Water (only drink allowed in dressing rooms), neat snacks (nothing greasy or sticky no frosting, chocolate, or nuts please). Eating while in costume is NOT ALLOWED. Clean & quiet activities: games, cards, crafts, homework, etc. to keep the dancers occupied during the show. Winter coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and warm sweat pants should be worn to and from the theater as befitting the weather. Arriving to or leaving the theater in booty shorts and a sweatshirt is NOT acceptable. 9

5 Hair & Make Up At The Civic Center It is a good idea to start growing out short hair and bangs for all dancers as the Victorian hairstyles for boys & girls were longer. All female dancers will wear their hair in a bun. All cast members wear make up for performances and dress rehearsals because the strong stage lights wash out the features of the dancers. Make up defines these features so the audience is able to see their expressions. If you have any concerns about your young children wearing make up or if you have allergy concerns, please let the ballet know. Please do not use liquid foundation make up as it easily stains the costumes and is difficult to clean. Pancake foundation is acceptable as are powder foundations. As production time nears, we will offer tutorials in applying stage make up. We will also send out a link to our tutorial videos demonstrating the techniques for making proper ballet buns and applying stage make-up. Due to the potential for spreading germs or infection, each child should provide his or her own make up kit and should not share! We request all dancers come to the theater with their hair and make up done. This is especially important for our younger dancers. We do not have enough chaperones to do hair and make up at the theater. If you are unsure how to make a proper bun or apply the stage make up, check out our videos or attend a tutorial at the studio. Female dancers wear all their hair pulled into neat buns without any bangs or wisps. Dancers with shorter hairstyles, will have to apply gel liberally to keep their hair back. Please purchase and label the following supplies for the theater. 8 Studio Full Show Rehearsals All dancers will be required for full show run-throughs at the studio on the following dates. Attendance at these rehearsals is particularly important since there will be no rehearsals over the Thanksgiving Holiday. Cast Photos November 22 Friday 12/5 Saturday 12/6 Monday 12/8 Parents have the option to have professional individual photos taken of their child in costume at the Peoria Ballet studios. Tech Week Rehearsals December 9-14 is tech week at the Civic Center. These are very important rehearsals for the continuity of the show and for getting use to the performance space. The entire cast will be needed every night. Children may leave as soon as the Artistic Director excuses them when their part is done for the evening. Performance Dates Thursday, December 11 at 9:30 AM & 12 Noon Abbreviated program for area school children Saturday, December 13 2:00pm Matinee Performance & 7:30 PM Evening Performance Sunday, December 14 at 2:00 PM Matinee Performance Only All performances are at Peoria Civic Center Theatre. 5

6 Costumes The costumes are provided by the Peoria Ballet and are cleaned yearly. Dancers should provide their own tights, shoes and undergarments and may be asked to provide other costume pieces. Female dancers, even young dancers, should purchase a nude leotard (nudie) to wear under all costumes in place of underwear. Please label all items when bringing them to the theater as things sometimes get tossed in the rush to change clothes. An extra pair of tights is helpful in case of a run or stain. Costume Fittings Costume fittings will be scheduled soon after rehearsals have begun. Please make every effort to attend your part s scheduled fitting. This makes it much easier on the costume crew. We have a limited number of costumes for each part. If we have all of the dancers for a particular part together at one fitting, we can make sure the tallest and the smallest are fit in costumes closest to their size and reduce the need for alterations. Party Girls Party Boys Party Women Party Men Purchased Hair Piece Ponytail of Curls attached to bun Boys of this era wore their hair longer, no buzz cuts please. Girls cast as Party Boys will wear high buns under hat provided by Peoria Ballet. A Victorian style with a center part and tight side curls with Sideburns are optional and, like the boys, please no buzz cuts Bon Bon Girls Purchased Hair Piece Ponytail of Curls attached to bun All Other Female Parts Hair Requirements By Part Hair in a neat bun with no bangs or wisps, gel & spray! Please bring extra bobby pins for head pieces! 6 Costume Pieces To Purchase/Provide By Part The following are costume pieces that each dancer will need to provide. We want you to have plenty of time to budget for and purchase any items you don t already have. Black ballet shoes come with black elastics, some parts will need white or pink elastic not black. Party Moms Maids Party Girls Fritz, Party Boys, & Boy Bon Bons Male Dancers Dolls Mice Soldiers Snowflakes & Snow Queen Angels & Seraphs Spanish Arabian Chinese Russian Marzipan Bon Bons Flowers Nude Leotard, Pink Tights & Nude Character Shoes Nude Leotard, Pink Tights & Black Character Shoes Nude Leotard, Pink Tights, Black Ballet Shoes with Pink Elastics, Black Shoe Ribbons* & Curls for the hair* Plain White t-shirt (males) Nude Leotard (females), White Tights, Black Ballet Shoes with White Elastics White t-shirt to be worn under costumes, NOT a tank style, collar/neck line may be trimmed so it is not seen. Nude Leotard, Pink Tights, Pointe Shoes Nude Leotard, Pink Tights, Pink Ballet Shoes Gray Tights & Gray Pointe Shoes for Mouse King only Nude Leotard (females ), White t-shirt (males) Black Socks, & Black Ballet Shoes with Black Elastics Nude Leotard, White Briefs, Pink Tights, Pointe Shoes & Rhinestone Earrings* Nude Leotard, Pink Tights, Pink Ballet Shoes Nude Leotard, Pink Tights, Black Briefs & Pointe Shoes Nude/ Pancaked Pointe Shoes Black Leotard, White Tights & Black Ballet Shoes with White Elastics Nude Leotard, Black Jazz shoes, Black Tights or Socks. Lead: Black Character Shoes Nude Leotard, Pink Tights & Pointe Shoes Girls: Nude Leotard, White Tights & Black Ballet Shoes w/ White Elastics & Curls for the hair* Boys: See Party Boy entry above. Nude Leotard, Pink Tights, Pink Briefs, & Pointe Shoes *Available for purchase through Peoria Ballet, order deadlines will be posted. 7