‘NUTCRACKER’ TRADITION HOLDS STEADY WITH ‘CLARA’S DREAM’
Scenes were filmed throughout Santa Cruz
The Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre will deliver the magic of the holiday season to the comfort and safety of homes around Santa Cruz with a pandemic-proof production of “The Nutcracker,” titled “Clara’s Dream.”
“COVID forced us into having to find a way to keep our dancers motivated and busy,” said the theater’s Creative Director Diane Cypher. “Normally ‘ The Nutcracker’ is a big part of our season. work for months on that and they all gain a lot of experience and get better.”
T he theater’s annual production of “The Nutcracker” — a tradition held since the ballet theater was founded 37 years ago — is typically held at the Civic Auditorium in downtown Santa Cruz. However, COVID-19 continues to stand as a roadblock to normalcy in everyday life.
Rather than cancel the event, Cypher and her team
of dancers chose to adapt. Clara’s escapade through the Land of Snow will feature backdrops from around Santa Cruz and Capitola.
“We wanted to keep the tradition going,” Cypher said. “Keeping the tradition alive seemed like a good way
to keep something normal in these kids’ lives. At least this gave them a sense of ‘oh, ‘The Nutcracker’ is still happening.’ It’s different but it’s something constant in their lives.”
This year’s rendition of “The Nutcracker” will be
held social distancing style. The theater hired a crew to film scenes in front of the county’s most iconic landmarks, venues and businesses. Filming started Saturday and ended Wednesday.
“Clara’s Dream” has dancers of all ages ranging from as young as 6 to 74-year- old Tom Bonura who plays Uncle Drosselmeyer. The film stars Lucy Rudnick as Clara and Otto Redline as the Nutcracker Prince.
A conversation w ith Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre alumna Georgina Wilson inspired Cypher to film “Clara’s Dream.” Wilson recently retired from her career as a professional dancer and expressed her interest in starting a career in film. She led the creative team and directed the film.
“It’s been really fun to imagine this world of “The Nutcracker” and Clara that I’m so familiar with in the setting of the place that I grew up,” Wilson said. “It’s been a fun way to mix both worlds of my childhood into a film.”
The creative team included two other Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre alumni,
Flora Chatwin who helped choreograph and Alicia Houser who scouted locations and stayed on set as an extra hand.
Cypher chose specific locations and businesses in an effort to include the community in the production.
“When I heard what
they were doing I thought it was such a sweet nod to the community filming at these places,” said Holly Rudnick, a parent volunteer. “It’s a bright spot during COVID. It’s always fun to see your town on film.”
Locations include the Lighthouse on West Cliff,
the Carousel at the Boardwalk and businesses such as Donnelly’s Chocolates, Pacific Cookie Company, Dream Inn and Bargetto Winery.
“These are businesses that have supported us for many years,” Cypher said. “We’re hoping it sort of promotes their business if we can help them in any way by getting them a little exposure.”
Other scenes were filmed at Peacock Tree Farm and Carousel Taffy and Sweets, which served as a backdrop for Clara’s second act adventure into the Land of Sweets.
“We’ve never worked with them before. We went and approached the owner and he was immediately all in. It was the perfect kind of Willy Wonka-looking store,” Cypher said.
The Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre hopes to release the film Thanksgiving weekend, offering an online stream or DVD format. Proceeds from the production will be used to keep SCBT running through the pandemic, pay for new costumes and the film crew. Patrons can also donate to SCBT at scbt.org.
“We would like to if we can make some money on it and continue our future and do something in the spring,” Cypher said. “Certainly, we want to continue to survive through this period and thrive once again.”