This weekend marks the beginning of the annual tradition at The Straz of The Nutcracker. However, what most audience members dont get to see is whats happening behind the scenes.From the set to the costumes to the props, Senior Director of Production Services Gerard Siegler is in charge of bringing The Nutcracker to life.Theres a lot of things that people dont even notice and its one of those selfless things where if something goes well the actors get applause, if something goes bad, someone on my team is getting in trouble, said Siegler.The Straz has been using their current set since 2011. It takes about 35 people over 24 hours to put it all together.There is a lot of pieces that go into it, a lot of hard scenery props, where most Nutcracker sets are one back drop and then they go to the next back drop, said Siegler.Gerard says often what you see on stage, is rarely what it seems, like the Christmas Tree.This tree is actually made out of hundreds of ostrich feathers that are painted green, said Siegler.The costumes in this show are unlike any other ballet in the business.One year the costume fits one person, the next year its a completely different person, and you got to stitch and make it work, said Siegler.However, when it comes to costumes, the Nutcracker head is always front and center.This being on your head the whole time as a dancer can be somewhat cumbersome, so we need to make sure that it fits properly on their head, that its secured tightly and they can actually see through it, said Siegler.Then when the show is over and the curtain goes down, Siegler and the team are just getting started.So we got three washers, three dryers, weve got them going hours after the audience has left, we are still here working, said Siegler.Gerard, who has been with the Straz for 17 years, takes extra pride in this show, because he knows how much it means for the performers of Next Generation Ballet.Theyre all under 18, they are starting their careers, and they are amazing, and one of the things we love backstage is to watch is some of these kids, we see them in kindergarten and then they grow up to 16, 17 about to go to an actual professional ballet company, said Siegler.The Nutcracker runs Dec. 19 to 23 at The Straz.Its a gorgeous set when you look at it, its grand in its scope, and its the classic Christmas Music that you hear, and its a lot of fun, said Siegler. ...read more read less