The Spark brings joy to Niwot with nomadic Nutcracker performance

For the past two weekends Niwot celebrated Christmas in style. A Holiday Market provided shoppers the opportunity to buy local goods and mingle, and throughout town, a theater troupe entertained with a live, nomadic rendition of The Nutcracker.

The Spark, a nonprofit Boulder theater group, put a unique spin on the Christmas classic by creating a "theme park-style performance opportunity." Their program, "Tales on the Trails," emerged from the COVID lockdown and resulted in outdoor walking productions. The Nutcracker marks their third walking production, after previously performing Alice in Wonderland at Chautauqua and The Wizard of Oz in Niwot.

The Spark is a women-founded and led regional theater, and its performance company is made up of a combination of non-union professionals and students. Notably, they have a mentorship model that helps young performers throughout their training, explained Director of Operations Mary Beth Ward. Innovation and community is at the heart of The Spark, both of which are embodied through their walking-performances.

Tales on the Trails is also a unique opportunity for its performers – a way to connect with the community, reaching people who they might not otherwise.

"My favorite part of Tales is always interacting with people who haven't yet heard of us or what we're doing," said Nikki Weber, who stars as Drosselmeyer. "The fact that Niwot is so decked out for the holidays adds so much whimsy and magic to the Nutcracker experience that I feel like I'm performing in a storybook."

In order to prepare, there is a short, but intense, in-studio rehearsal period before a dress rehearsal on site. The Spark performs at least eight shows per day, meaning that the troupe generally only has a few minutes break between entertaining the next group. So, the performers not only intensively practice their acting skills, but they also learn the importance of maintaining their energy throughout the day.

"It's always fun to watch passers-by do a double take and to interact with them in character or convince them to join our next audience," Weber said.

Student performer Wren Conway Bennett, who played a snowflake fairy in The Nutcracker, said that one of her favorite moments was chatting with children as the cast guided the audience throughout town. "Mostly, I just talk to three-year-olds and try to get them to tell me what to do in the snow," said Conway Bennett. "It's been fun...I like the responses that little kids give you."

Tales on the Trails is a special event largely because the audience interaction requires actors to be spontaneous and improvise. Additionally, this year's performance is unique because while it is not a traditional ballet, the directors incorporated dance into the performances. This winter's performances were so successful that many were sold out.

Ward summed up the performance in Niwot, "Beyond the holiday magic, this story is about a young girl with a big imagination who plays the heroine of her own story, and we wanted our version of The Nutcracker to inspire that in all our audience members."

The Spark will be hosting open auditions soon at its theater in Boulder. Upcoming productions will include on-stage performances of Clue in February and Tuck Everlasting in April/May. More information about The Spark can be found at http://www.thesparkcreates.org.