2018

Previous productions of the Nutcracker at the Maui Academy of the Arts relied heavily on projected backgrounds. For this most recent production we decided to do away with projections and use actual scenery to fill the stage space. Flown windows and columns as well as a growing Christmas tree, a magic armoire, sofas, presents and scattered furniture created the image of a mansion for the first act. While in the second act the space needed to be more open for the dance numbers but also give a fantasy dreamlike quality. By adding a freestanding colonnade and a high throne upstage we were able to delineate a specific space and yet keep it open and ephemeral.