Media Release
The Nutcracker Cannon Doll Lineup Announced
Features Six Olympians Including Summer McIntosh
December 3, 2024… Hope Muir, Joan and Jerry Lozinski Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, shared today this season’s lineup of Cannon Dolls for The Nutcracker. Six Olympians will make their debuts as Cannon Dolls, including Gold Medalist Swimmer Summer McIntosh on December 20 at 7:00 pm.
The Olympians include Melissa Humana-Paredes, beach volleyball, Katie Vincent, canoe-kayak sprinting, Maya Meschkuleit, rowing, Fay De Fazio Ebert, skateboarding, and Alysha Newman, pole vaulting. Paralympian wheelchair racer Austin Smeenk will also debut as a Cannon Doll.
The lineup features Toronto Sceptres Natalie Spooner and Kristen Campbell, Jeopardy Champion and CBC Radio host Mattea Roach, Actors Kathleen Munroe (Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent) and Araya Mengesha (Nobody), Global News Anchor and longest running Cannon Doll Susan Hay, Global News Chief Meteorologist Anthony Farnell and Breakfast Television host Stella Aquisto.
Past Cannon Dolls have included former Toronto Raptors Kyle Lowry and Matt Thomas, Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, Olympic Gold Medalist Figure Skater Tessa Virtue, Actors Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Graham Greene and Sarah Gadon, members of Arkells, Astronaut Chris Hadfield, Comedian Rick Mercer, Authors Carley Fortune and Emma Donoghue, Musician Brendan Canning, Mayor of Toronto Olivia Chow and Former Mayors of Toronto Barbara Hall and John Tory.
Celebrity walk-on roles are a long-standing tradition with Nutcrackers all over the world. In the National Ballet’s production, the cameo roles are Cannon Dolls, colourfully costumed Petrouchka dolls who shoot a cannon into the audience in Act I. To date, the National Ballet has invited 1,318 Canadian luminaries and personalities to appear onstage in the coveted roles.
This season, the National Ballet has invited colleagues in the Toronto arts and dance community and Community Partners onstage as Cannon Dolls. The opening night Cannon Dolls will be Michael Murray, CEO of Ontario Arts Council, and their Board Chair Simon Foster. Other organizations include Citadel et Compagnie, dance : made in canada / fait au Canada Festival, Luminato Festival, VIBE Arts, VITA Community Living Servies and Friends of Ruby.
The Nutcracker is choreographed by James Kudelka with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set and costume design by Santo Loquasto and lighting design by Jennifer Tipton.
Tickets are selling fast with limited availability.
The Nutcracker Availability Show by Show
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Season Sponsor: BMO Financial Group
iA Financial Group presents The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is made possible by generous financial support from production underwriters Sandra Pitblado, C.M. & Jim Pitblado, C.M., Lawrence and Ann Heisey and an anonymous friend of the National Ballet.
The National Ballet of Canada gratefully acknowledges its collaboration with Canada's National Ballet School in the production of The Nutcracker.
The National Ballet of Canada gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of the Canada Council for the Arts; the Ontario Arts Council; the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council; the Government of Canada – Department of Canadian Heritage with the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage; and the Government of Ontario with the Honourable Stan Cho, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming and Minister of Sport.
Kyle Lowry and Matt Thomas in The Nutcracker. Photo by Karolina Kuras.
For more information, please contact:
Touchwood PR
Andréa Grau, Founder and Owner
Keira Hunt, Publicity and Promotions Manager
Chelsea Cabello, Senior Publicist
Press@touchwoodpr.com
The National Ballet of Canada
Catherine Chang, Associate Director of Communications & Content Strategy
Kate Dresser, Communications Manager
Media@national.ballet.ca
