The Albuquerque Premiere of THE REAL NUT: The True Story of The Nutcracker

Not the ballet. Not Tchaikovsky. But THE REAL NUT. Limited Engagement: only nine performances.

Originally produced in Los Angeles, the Aux Dog Performing Arts Space is pleased to announce its next production-the holiday family entertainment treat THE REAL NUT: THE TRUE STORY OF THE NUTCRACKER, an adaptation of the magical tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann that has become a holiday classic.

The epic story begins on Christmas Eve and ends 12 hours later on Christmas morning. But what a 12 hours! Before night becomes morning, our young heroine, Marie, will receive a rather special nutcracker, face the hideous Mouse King and his ferocious army, sacrifice the things she holds most dear, and learn the true meaning of love.
"This is a wonderful story for the holiday season," says director Barry Simon who adapTEd Hoffmann's fable with Paul Hansen. "Hoffmann's "Nutcracker and the Mouse King" is a wild ride of larger-than-life proportions. Yet, it takes place in one night in one sitting room. We dramatize it in little more than one hour." Besides adapting the Hoffmann story, Simon recently won second place with his play "Heaven" that was part of the Vortex Theater's recent short play festival.

Victoria Liberatori, the Aux Dog's Producing Artistic Director, notes that this story works on two levels. "For younger members of the audience, it's all about the story with its magic and monsters and battles and a shy nutcracker who must find the courage to stand up for himself and a young girl who must face the Mouse King in order to become who she really is. However, this is not just for children. Adults will appreciate the story's depth and richness. But what's really special about this show is that in a world where entertainment is dominated by computer generated graphics, this production relies solely on the audience's imagination and spectacular theatrical stagecraft."

To tell this extraordinary tale, Simon and Hansen decided to engage the audience's imagination by relying on just two people--a storyteller and a puppeteer-to bring this epic adventure to life. "Paul and I believe in the power of storytelling and the magic of puppetry. And so while this story has almost unlimited boundaries, we decided to trust and engage the audience. They have to participate.They have to see what's being described and thus participate actively in creating the show. The same is true with puppetry. Inanimate objects come alive in the minds of the audience members, requiring them to fill in the gaps, to give them life, to see than as real."

Starring in THE REAL NUT is Jaime Pardo as The Storyteller. He is a member of the Aux Dog Theater Company and was recently seen in "12 Angry Jurors" and "A Shot Away." He has also worked with Teatro Nuevo New Mexico, the New Mexico Philharmonic and the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Sitting behind a colorfully decorated table, he opens a book and weaves an adventure, creating 16 different characters! Pardo explains, "There is a young girl, Marie, her mysterious Uncle Drosselmeir, a shy nutcracker, a nasty little Queen Mouserink and her larger-than-life terror of a son, the Mouse King, just to name a few. And they all need to be distinct so the audience can follow the story."

Henry Sebastian Bender, a theater arts major at the University of New Mexico, is the show's puppeteer and will be manipulating shadow puppets created by Paul Hansen and Barry Simon. "I am intrigued by the idea that a piece of cardboard on a stick with a light behind it throwing a shadow on a screen can actually become a real character in the audience's imagination," Bender comments. "That is the magic of theater and I'm excited to be part of it."

Producing Artistic Director Liberatori notes that this is the kind of show the Aux Dog loves to produce. "THE REAL NUT is a purely theatrical piece --- a captivating story that is brought to life through the art of storytelling, the actors and enhanced by its delightful and original puppetry and music."

THE REAL NUT: THE TRUE STORY OF THE NUTCRACKER previews on Thursday, December 1st, with a pay-what-you-can performance. Because this is also the night of the Nob Hill Stroll, this performance will begin at 5 pm so families can see the play and then stroll Central Avenue, making this the perfect holiday kick-off for the whole family.
The opening is on Friday, December 2nd, at 7 pm. The play runs until Sunday, December 18th.

On Saturday, the Twinkle Light Parade will be starting at 5:15 pm and so this performance will begin at 3:30. This will provide enough time to find parking, see the show, and then walk a half block to Central for the Parade.Talk about a full, fun, fantastical family event!
On Sunday, the performance will begin at 2 pm.

All three regular performances on opening weekend will feature the Aux Dog's 10@10 opening weekend pricing, meaning ten minutes before the performance begins all unsold tickets will be priced at $10 for adults and $8 for children 10 and under. For the remainder of the play's run, Friday night performances will begin at 7 pm, Saturday at 4 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm. Regularly priced tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for students, seniors, ATG, TLC and service members, $14 for SAG, AFTRA and IATSE members and $10 for children 10 and under. $10 for Groups of 10 or more. Student RUSH at 5 minutes before curtain, subject to availability.
Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.auxdog.com or by calling (505) 254- 7716. Aux Dog is located at 3011-3015 Monte Vista NE in Nob Hill.

Show Times and Prices (Please note these special start times): PREVIEW on Thursday, December 1st, with a pay-what-you-can performance. Because this is also the night of the Nob Hill Stroll, this performance will begin at 5 pm so families can see the play and then stroll Central Avenue, making this the perfect holiday kick-off for the whole family.
OPENING is on Friday, December 2nd, at 7 pm.
On Saturday, December 3rd, the Twinkle Light Parade will be starting at 5:15 pm and so this performance will begin at 3:30.
On Sunday, the performance will begin at 2 pm.

TICKET PRICES: All three regular performances on opening weekend will feature the Aux Dog's 10@10 opening weekend only pricing, meaning ten minutes before the performance begins all unsold tickets will be priced at $10 for adults and $8 for children 10 and under.
For the rest of the play's run, Friday night performances will begin at 7 pm, Saturday at 4 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm. Regularly priced tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for students, seniors, ATG, TLC and service members, $14 for SAG, AFTRA and IATSE members and $10 for children 10 and under. $10 for Groups of 10 or more. Student RUSH at 5 minutes before curtain, subject to availability.

The play runs until Sunday, December 18th .

Tickets can be purchased on-line at auxdog.com or by calling (505) 254- 7716.

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