Each year, one of the most fun aspects of my job as Publicity Coordinator for The National Ballet of Canada is inviting local celebrities and media to join the dancers onstage in The Nutcracker in the cameo role of the Cannon Dolls. Guests have included well-known figures from the sports world like Kurt Browning and Ron MacLean; reality TV stars like Zack Werner and Jake Gold and figures from the media world including Shinan Govani, Heather Hiscox and Susan Hay, who celebrated her 13th anniversary in The Nutcracker with us in December.
When reassuring some of our guests that there is nothing to worry about moments before they make their appearance with The National Ballet of Canada, I have gotten a few reactions that included “That’s easy for you to say! You’re not the one going onstage!” All of that changed on December 22 when Publicity Intern Emily Burke and I made our debuts in these coveted roles. My job with the National Ballet has led me to some fairly unusual places – rooftop photo shoots, public school gymnasiums, costume storage rooms and ballet studio rehearsals – but until now, never onstage during a performance.
The experience was quite unique for us as we had been watching the variations on the Cannon Doll roles all season. Knowing the dancers who we were sharing the stage with made all the difference – there were no nerves and everyone seemed to trust that we knew what we were doing. Rex Harrington led us through a one-minute micro version of the already brief pre-show rehearsal and we got into costume.
After putting on the clown-like costumes (which really do get you instantly into character), we met Corps de Ballet member Brendan Saye backstage, who seemed to enjoy the break from playing host for a night. The backstage area was a buzz of activity: stagehands took part in the snowball fight whenever a stray ball rolled offstage, a snow maiden carried her infant son to show him the enormous set pieces and tiny mice scurried about, preparing for their entrance.
Our time onstage came and went, and as most Cannon Dolls agree, it was over far too fast. Rex Harrington and Karen Kain made a guest appearance as Cannon Dolls in a 2008 performance during a snowstorm, so I suppose you could now say that I have shared a role with Karen Kain? Either way, being onstage for a National Ballet performance is a dream come true and I was thrilled to have had this experience.
See what others thought of their Cannon Doll experiences in their blogs, articles and Twitter posts:
Victoria Ahearn, Canadian Press Entertainment Reporter
Lisa Tant, Editor-in-Chief of Flare
Amy Verner, Globe and Mail Style Reporter
Maura Grierson, Virgin Radio Host
[Photos: Top, Brendan Saye, Wendy Liebner and Emily Burke in The Nutcracker. Photo by Bruce Zinger. Centre, Ron Maclean and Kurt Browning backstage. Photo by Catherine Chang. Above, Wendy Liebner and Emily Burke backstage. Photo by Lisa Robinson]
