encoreatlanta.com
|9
Nutcracker defeats the Mouse King. And for more than twenty years, the battleground has been none other than here, Atlanta’s beloved Fox Theatre. Atlanta Ballet originally performed The Nutcracker in the Civic Center, until the ’70s and ’80s when it switched between there and the Fox Theatre. In 1995, the company adopted the Fox as The Nutcracker’s long-term home for multiple reasons, one of which being its unique architecture. Even with empty seats and a bare stage, the theatre has a way of telling its own story, and, because of this, it has not only served as a performance venue, but a panoramic backdrop of the enchanting world that is The Nutcracker. It has provided an atmosphere beyond the set, and has given audiences the opportunity to be completely immersed in the mystical tale.
arie (Airi Igarashi) M being taunted by the Mouse King and his mice. Photo by Gene Schiavone.
“When John McFall became artistic director in 1994, one of the first things he did was begin the creative process to make a new Nutcracker for the city of Atlanta,” shares Tricia Ekholm, Chief Marketing Officer for Atlanta Ballet. “Because he knew we were going to be at the Fox, he really played up the Russian, Moorish feel of the story to fit the ambiance of the Fox Theatre. In 1995, we
Atlanta’s Historic Fox Theatre | foxtheatre.com