The Nutcracker
I
by Benjamin Nunnally
t’s at least a little crazy to take every
third grader in Calhoun County out to
see a performance of The Nutcracker.
The logistics are far out — there are nearly 2,000 Calhoun County kids in the third
grade on average each year, at more than 20
schools — and the expenses can’t quite be
a drop in the bucket, either. But talk to Nutcracker Co-Chairpersons Brenda Shaw and
Betsy Davis, watch them tear up to think of
sharing a little magic with the kids and you’ll
know they’re not worried about hard work.
“You sit in that auditorium and see this mass
of children, and the first time they all gasp
in unison, you sit back there and squall,” said
Davis. “It’s so moving.”
is invited to see a free “School Day” performance coordinated through their school.
Throughout November, readers and dancers
will visit classrooms and prepare the kids to
see the Balanchine version of The Nutcracker, a notoriously demanding take the Christmas classic.
The Nutcracker returns to the Knox Concert
Series for its 34th consecutive year on Dec.
6, and every third grader in Calhoun County
=“It’s a very extended thing for them; they
interact with it, attend it, their teachers talk
about it all along, and then they write spon-
18
November 2015
INSIGHT