Ohio Dance Theatre Artistic Director, Denise Gula decided to team up with the 2009 Frontier League Champs, when looking for a local celebrity to play the role of Mother Ginger.

The company plans to make the inclusion of honoring and featuring a prominent community leader or local celebrity in the role as an annual tradition. “I’m always looking for ways to keep the production fresh and exciting and decided to follow in the footsteps of other professional and nationally recognized Ballet companies like Austin Ballet which has a long history of tapping local celebrities for each evening’s performance. Past Mother Ginger Austin Ballet Celebrities have included Neil Armstrong, so Arden is definitely in good company,” said Artistic Director, Denise Gula.

Mother Ginger’s responsibilities, a role traditionally played in drag, includes wearing full makeup, including red lipstick and bright blue eye shadow, and climbing into a dress on a platform five feet off the ground, which covers 10 children.

Tickets range in price from $12 to $30. They are available at the Stocker Arts Center Box Office at (800) 995-5222 ext. 4040 or (440) 366-4040, or online by clicking here. Please call Ohio Dance Theatre at (440) 774-6077 to inquire about tickets to the VIP Nutcracker Opening Night Intermission Reception with Celebrity Guest Crushers’ Arden McWilliams.

The 2009 Nutcracker performance is sponsored in part by Lorain County Community College, The Cleveland Clinic-Lorain and The Chronicle Telegram.

Ohio Dance Theatre exists to create and present classically innovative dance and dance-arts education programs. The Company is recognized for its innovation in creation, arts education, and arts management. In additional to the company, Ohio Dance Theatre operates the Ohio Dance Theatre School.