Franklin Performing Arts Company Announces Cast for THE NUTCRACKER, 12/8-9

The Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) announces casting for the 2012 holiday production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. More than 100 young dancers from 25 area towns will perform in the production. Performances will take place on Saturday, December 8, at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, December 9, at 2:00 p.m. at the Thomas D. Mercer Auditorium, 224 Oak Street, in Franklin. Erica Cornejo, Boston Ballet principal dancer, and Carlos Molina, former American Ballet Theatre soloist and Boston Ballet principal, will dance the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. The annual holiday classic will also feature a live, professional orchestra under the direction Peter Cokkinias.

Local dancers showcased in leading roles include Mikaela Guidice of Norfolk (Saturday performance) and Lauren Szczepanowski of Franklin (Sunday) as Little Clara, Melissa Chapski of Medfield (Saturday) and Noura Sander of North Easton (Sunday) as Big Clara, McKenna May of Wrentham (Saturday) and Chapski (Sunday) as Snow Queen, Kristina Wright of Milford as Dew Drop Fairy, Jocelyn Jones of Franklin (Saturday) and May (Sunday) as Mouse Queen, Jenna McDermott of Wrentham (Saturday) and Brooke Collins of Franklin (Sunday) as Kissy Doll, and Jack Mullen of Millis as Fritz.

Dancers cast in the production range in age from 6 to 18 and attend many area dance schools, including the Franklin School for the Performing Arts. In addition to the dancers named above, performers include Caitlyn Connolly, Ava Garfinkel, Madelyn Garfinkel, Hannah Szczesny and Caroline Townsend of Attleboro; Lia Yildiz of Berlin; Taylor Joron of Bolton; Haley Martin of Boxborough; Emily Buliung of Foxborough; Lily Barney, Claire Bauer, Stephanie Bell, Emma Brown, Anna David, Sophia David, Paige DeMarino, Kendra Dombroski, Dora Ebbeling, Jaime Eidswick, Lauren Foellmer, Megan Foellmer, Aria Ford, Leila Frankina, Liana Frankina, Emily Helm, Madilyn Hendricks, Kelly Irwin, Keira Kucich, Madison Leach, Sydney Leach, JoJo Liu, Jenny Maciel, Shaina McGillis, Lucas Melfi, Sarah Metras, Emma Nicholson, Michaela Olah, Nyna Pendkar, Angelina Perez, Olivia Rondeau, Lillian Skinner, Sofia Smith, Trisha Tran, Kiley Wallis and Delaney Zolnowski of Franklin; Emma Ritter of Harvard; Jared Brouillette of Holliston; Tony Weissinger of Hopkinton; Ashley Rosenthal of Hudson; Anna Martin and Samantha Pannenbor of Hopedale; Sam Evans of Medfield; Caroline Calnan, Kaitlyn Calnan, Annabella DeLuca, Haley Desjarlais, Emily Harris, Elizabeth Kilgallon, Emma Rose Lower, Lilyan Lower, Ally Lynch, Alli Tomsik and Maddy Williams of Medway; Katie Ditmars of Mendon; Camryn Cherella of Milford; Natalie Chenard, Phoebe Dias, Jessica Guidice, Emily Harrington, Nataly Kaldawy, Francesca Lu, Gwyneth Lu, Caroline Robertson and Nora Skaling of Norfolk; Kaley Somers of Northborough; Rosie Leonard of Sharon; Katherine Fournier and Grace Patenaude of Plainville; Julia Calianos and Hannah Koizumi of Upton; Emily Butler, Samantha Horne, Kelsey McMillan and Mairead Nee of Walpole; Clara Mills of Winchester; and Olivia Andreozzi, Ella Brown, Gina Brown, Madeleine Cron, Anneka Ignatius, Sarah Radford and Elena Rouse of Wrentham.

A distinctive suburban non-profit arts organization founded in 1991, FPAC presents quality performances while offering opportunities for professional artists, amateurs, families and students of the arts to work together in a collaborative and creative environment.

Tickets for FPAC's The Nutcracker go on sale October 29. Performances are expected to sell out. For more information, call 508-528-8668 or visit www.fpaconline.com.