Stitching a New Nutcracker with Karissa and Clara
- Cindy Case
- 29 minutes ago
- 4 min read
The turkey has been eaten, and the temperature is dropping--here in Annapolis, that means it's almost time for The Nutcracker! Last weekend, Ballet Theatre of Maryland performed our all-new, Annapolis-themed production for the very first time for audiences in Hampstead.
We still have a few weeks before our shows at Maryland Hall, so I caught up with Wardrobe Coordinators Karissa Kralik and Clara Molina about what it was like to bring a new production of The Nutcracker to the stage. Keep reading for a sneak preview of some of their favorite costumes!
Creating New Concepts
Dressing for the Party—and a Battle!
The seeds of the new Nutcracker were planted long before the new production came to life. Our Artistic Director, Nicole Kelsch, approached Karissa after Thanksgiving in 2023 to create concept art for how Clara, The Nutcracker, and other members of the party scene might be dressed.
Karissa says, "Nicole had already reached out to Historic Annapolis and knew what time period she was looking at as well as guidelines on color and her general idea, but there was still a lot of opportunity for creativity. Dressing Clara in white and blue wasn't a far departure from what we already had, but putting her in a little girl's nightgown and letting her be a child was refreshing to imagine."
Karissa continues, "That was when I came up with the concept for the robe, because it always bothered me in productions where Clara goes out in the snow in just her nightgown. It makes me so happy that Nicole found room for it in the narrative and kept that piece of the story."
Crafting A Land of Confections
Wardrobe Coordinator Clara Molina became involved in designing the new Nutcracker in October and November of 2024, when Nicole asked her to contribute concept art for the delicious treats in Act II.
Clara says, "The concept drawings started last fall, and then I built the Sugar Plum tutu in January and February for our promotional materials. As we've thought about the production, I've been gathering material [fabric] for at least a year."
The first design Clara made was for the Caramel divertissements, which most audiences will recognize as Arabian. "Since it was the first one, it was really cool to see how it actually panned out."
Creating something spectacular—on a deadline
Something that came up in our post about the new Nutcracker's scenery is how The Nutcracker is often a ballet company's biggest and most complex production. Because it will be performed year after year and will draw the widest range of audience members, The Nutcracker is worth the extra time and effort.
The same is true for the production's costuming, so Karissa and Clara had a big job on their hands. Karissa says, "It felt very overwhelming at times to tackle a beast like this. There were a lot of things I wanted to focus on after working on the previous production for nine seasons: making things as washable as possible, making maintenance easy, and making sizing more interchangeable."
Clara describes the process as a big learning experience for her: "I needed to create a lot of new costume pieces I've never made before, modify patterns to suit the production, and even just learn to go with the flow."
She went on, "I had to learn to work with things as they come instead of everything going perfectly to plan. Since it's brand-new from top to bottom, we were all figuring out all aspects of the production at the same time. That meant the process was more fluid than how I typically work. The result is an accomplishment I'm looking forward to seeing on the Maryland Hall stage."
As with most things, it was a group effort. For the costumes created by BTM, Karissa and Clara received support on costume construction from Karen Kralik, Laurie Molina, Anne Seitz, and Amanda Cobb, as well as costume detailing from Amanda Cobb, Gabrielle DeJong, and Emery Newton. Behind the scenes, many company dancers also volunteered their time between rehearsals to help bring the costumes to life.
Accomplishing a brand-new production
With the bulk of the work for The Nutcracker's costumes done after our performance on November 23, Karissa and Clara are seeing their concepts come to life.
Karissa wanted each Party mom's dress to feel unique, so she sent Karen Kralik six different patterns to work from. When they arrived in Annapolis, Karissa put on the finishing touches. She says, "I think the party mom dresses made for the biggest transformation. Watching their faces when they put them on for the first time, I saw them go, 'Oh, I feel very different, I feel very ladylike."
Karissa continues, "It's fun to let costumes be transformational for the individual and not just the person who made them. That's always the goal when a dancer puts on something new--they should feel more connected to their character."
Clara was glowing when I asked about how she felt after the first performance of the new Nutcracker. "Last week we did a run-through, and I sat down and realized everything was done. It was a very nice wash of relief, and also something to be proud of. It's a brand-new production from top to bottom, and it is absolutely an honor to get to design all of these things. Hopefully, they will be around for many years to come."
Both Clara and Karissa expressed gratitude and a big sense of accomplishment. The costumes that you'll see onstage this December represent months and even years of work behind the scenes. We can't wait to share them with you!
Tickets are going fast, so visit our Nutcracker page to reserve your seats today!
Promotional photos by Joanne Salyer