Nutcracker
Dear Parents/Guardians,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you and your child to Ballet Arts Worcester’s annual audition
for “The Nutcracker”. In this letter I hope to inform you of all the details involved in this production.
This Fifth annual production of “The Nutcracker” will be a collaboration between Ballet Arts Worcester,
The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts and The Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra. The
Production will be performed in its traditional arrangement on the following dates: Note this is the
weekend of Thanksgiving: Friday, November 23rd, 7pm, Saturday, November 24th, 2pm and 7pm,
Sunday, November 25th , 2pm and Monday, November 26th at 10am for our annual public and private
school performance (Snow date, Tuesday, November 27th). Performances will be held at the Hanover
Theatre in downtown Worcester, 2 Southbridge Street. Production week will take place during the week of
Sunday, November 18th through Wednesday, November 21st.
(A detailed and mandated Production week schedule is attached to this information letter.)
Rehearsals will be held every Saturday, starting on the 8th of September at Ballet Arts Worcester (36
Harlow Street) Rehearsal will be scheduled in advance, see the attached schedule. You can find rehearsal
times posted on the information board located down the hall opposite Studio 2 at BAW. Rehearsal times
will depend on your child’s role and availability for weeknight rehearsals (weeknight rehearsals pertain to
dancers ages 12+ only). Rehearsals will range from 30min. to 3hrs. Attendance is mandatory and if your
child is absent more than twice, he or she will not be able to participate in the production. Time is of
the essence and every second counts, especially when November 23th is only 2 short months away! I expect
that students are on time for all rehearsals, a 10-minute grace period will be given. I must keep a strict
schedule in order to get things accomplished in 11 Saturdays. Producing a production of this magnitude
will take extra effort and concentration! Also, this regulation is out of respect for the other students and for
the organizations that we will be collaborating with. Professional artists and musicians will have no
tolerance for tardiness. Moreover, if your child is ill or cannot make rehearsal, please call the school to
notify in advance (508.791.3233).
Students will be notified of their part via email, no later than Wednesday, September 5th. (If you are not on
email you must notify the Director.) A rehearsal schedule will be provided to you on this day of your
audition. All students involved in Nutcracker must come dressed in proper ballet attire. This includes a
leotard, pink tights and ballet slippers (no skirts or shorts allowed in rehearsal) Girls must have hair
fastened in a bun. Boys may wear t-shirts, black tights or sweat pants and ballet slippers.
A production fee of $50.00 is due on the first day of rehearsal. Please make checks payable to B.A.W.,
INC. Any returned check will incur a service charge of $25.00. Cash payments are also acceptable.
Any parent interested in volunteering at the performances/ dress rehearsals or would like to participate in
the production as a “Party Parent” can fill out the Parent Volunteer/Party Parent information sheet attached
and submit it to the Director, Jennifer Agbay by the first day of rehearsal. Your help is much needed and
appreciated!
Today’s audition will be a competitive audition. We will only select the topmost dancerss for this
production. We have a new procedure in the audition process this year. After viewing your child in a
technical ballet class, we will either pass the child on to the next round of call backs, which takes place
later on, the same day or, we will release them after the audition class and unfortunately end their
participation. The call back process does not mean that your child has automatically made it into the
production. We are specifically “calling the dancer back” to review them as a candidate to perform in the
Nutcracker.
Your child will be cast according to his or her skill level and ability. In The Nutcracker, all roles are
important to the translation or storytelling of the ballet. The role that your child will be cast for
demonstrates and showcases their particular talent. Roles will not be up for discussion to the Director.
The artistic staff of Ballet Arts Worcester, in their professionalism and expertise will cast this production as
a team. If your child is not satisfied with the role given, he or she has the option to decline the role;
however eligibility for next year’s Nutcracker auditions will be prohibited! Moreover, the Artistic staff
may choose your child for a double role in the production; this commitment will add rehearsal time to your
child’s participation
Please review the rehearsal schedule and dress rehearsal carefully. We would like to
see zero conflicts in your participation with this production. If you foresee conflicts
in schedule with your existing schedule (i.e. dance school, sports team) we ask that
you do not audition for The Nutcracker. We have experienced in our casting
selections that many dancers decline roles for scheduling conflicts prior to the first
day of rehearsal and this is unfortunate to BAW and a dancer who was not selected
over your child. Please be considerate to this guideline.
In my fifth year presenting this ballet, I continue to be excited about the Nutcracker and the collaborative
efforts made with The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts and The Massachusetts Symphony
Orchestra. I have, again, great expectations for this production. It is my hope that everyone who
participates in this production will get a sense of professionalism, will learn and appreciate the balletmaking process and most of all have fun and enjoy themselves. I thank you for your interest and
participation. I am looking forward to meeting with all of you. If you have any problems, questions or
concerns please feel free to contact me during school hours, Monday-Friday 3 to 8, Saturday 9 to 5 or
email, jenniferagbay@gmail.com
Good Luck and Best Regards,
Jennifer Agbay
Director
Ballet Arts Worcester
508.791.3233