It’s that time of year again — Homer’s 37th annual “Nutcracker” production will grace the Mariner Theatre stage at Homer High School starting Saturday, Dec. 6.
Directed by Sally Oberstein and featuring choreography by Rhoslyn Anderson, this holiday favorite is a longtime theatrical tradition on the Mariner stage and involves dozens of community members of all ages among the cast and crew. According to Oberstein, there are between 65 and 70 youth cast members alone.
“‘The Nutcracker’ has so many people working on costumes and set and props and makeup and hair, sound and lighting and backstage crew and stage managers — all of that makes it a team of people going all in the same direction. It’s pretty remarkable,” she said.
Auditions were held in August, and rehearsals began the first week of September. The ballet’s opening night will coincide with the Nutcracker Faire, which is organized by Homer Council on the Arts and will take place in the Homer High School commons and gym Dec. 6-7.
Several HHS seniors are part of this year’s cast, a higher volume than previous years, Anderson said in an interview Friday. The 2024 production featured four seniors in the cast.
“It’s been really fun to work with dancers from different dance backgrounds,” Anderson said. “It’s a ballet, but we also incorporate other styles of dance, and there’s definitely more of that again this year. There’s some incorporation of ballroom dancing and modern (dancing), some hiphop and lyrical. It’s cool to play to the dancer’s strengths and see where they shine.”
Anderson’s own background in dance incorporates multiple styles.
“My background is primarily in the combination of ballet, jazz and contemporary,” she said. “I grew up dancing in the Homer Nutcracker. I danced through high school and college and whatnot, and when I moved back to Homer I got more involved again — so that’s been fun.”
As in the past few years, Homer’s “Nutcracker” production follows the traditional storyline but brings in a few elements to keep it fresh and exciting for the audience.
“I have tried to stay within the traditional lane since I started directing,” Oberstein said in a separate interview Friday. “But we always bring in something extra so that it remains magical, and there’s always at least one surprise in there. It keeps it more fun for us and the audience and the performers, all of us.”
In order to find out what surprises lay in store this year, Oberstein said “come and see it, and you’ll find out.”
Opening night, Dec. 6, will feature two shows — one at 3 p.m. and one at 7:30 p.m. Additional shows will be performed on Dec. 7, 10 and 12-13.
Find showtimes and purchase tickets at www.homernutcrackerproductions.com/.
“The Nutcracker” cast member Brenda Pennington rehearses on the Homer High School Mariner Theatre stage on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Homer, Alaska. Photo courtesy Chris Kincaid/RCKincaidPhoto
Photos courtesy Chris Kincaid/RCKincaidPhoto Members of the Homer Nutcracker ballet production cast rehearse on the Homer High School Mariner Theatre stage on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Members of the Homer Nutcracker ballet production cast rehearse on the Homer High School Mariner Theatre stage on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Homer, Alaska. Photo courtesy Chris Kincaid/RCKincaidPhoto
