A nearly decade-long veteran of the film and television industry like Chris Power has no shortage of accomplishments.
But the Georgetown native can boast a new feather in his cap: becoming a playwright. Georgetown Little Theatre (GLT) has picked up his script for a unique take on The Nutcracker, which will debut just in time for the Christmas season on Nov. 28.
A Story of The Nutcracker is a modern take on the old Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann story – which was brought to life in ballet form by Pyotr Tchaikovsky.
It is the same play in many ways. A lot of familiar characters – like Klara, Fritz and Godfather Drosselmeyer and others – are present. However, these characters have been tweaked for a 2024 audience.
“If you have any siblings, when you are told ‘go decorate the house, company is coming,’ one sibling is going to do more than the other,” Power said in explaining his real-life inspirations for the characters.
“The mum is just tired. If you’re a mum out there, see the play and you’ll relate with the mum 100 per cent,” Power joked.
This version is not a ballet, but music will be part of it. The Sugar Plum Fairy is not left out. But, unlike the original where musical interludes paused plot progression so the audience can take in the performance, Power says the Sugar Plum Fairy scene won’t be a “stop-and-go dance.”
“Sugar Plum Fairy enters, we don't stop, watch the dance and then continue our dialogue. We've incorporated her dance with the entrance and we've incorporated the way that she does her lines with the dance.”
Power promises that it will be family-friendly production as “it’s put on by kids.”
This is the first of Power's plays to be picked up by a theatre company. He has written plays before that didn’t go anywhere, but the journey behind the craft kept making him come back. He very much enjoys the challenge of writing a script, especially the learning aspect of it.
When asked what this play meant to him, he said that he sees this as a stepping stone towards pursuing becoming a storyteller full-time. “I’m going to keep producing, I’m going to keep creating,” he said.
“One day, if it works out and you can leave the day job and can pursue your passion full-time, hey, great! But until then, [I'm asking] ‘What’s the next project? What else can I do? How can I be different? How can I not be the same cookie-cutter MOW (movie of the week)?'”
Tickets are sold out, but the local has other works on the horizon to look forward to.
A second play of Power's has been picked up as well called Time Sip. It tells the story of a woman struggling with the death of her mother and her father’s deteriorating mental state as a result using fantastical elements.
It's currently in production with GLT and will premiere sometime next year.
“No one's going to chase your dreams for you. So for me, I'm going to keep producing, I'm going to keep making, I'm going to keep creating,” Power said.
More information about GLT can be found on its website.
