Nutcracker in the Castle bids adieu after another season of holiday cheer

It’s 2022, a bright new start for all. As new cheers and confetti fill the air, Christmas trees and wreaths gather dust in the sad corners of 2021. While people pack up their ornaments and elves-on-the-shelves head back up north, the Oshkosh Paine Art Center put a bow on its own tradition after another season entertaining visitors. Lasting from mid-November to early January, the Paine hosted their own interpretation of The Nutcracker, dubbed the Nutcracker in the Castle. 

Junior Isabelle Sylvia, employee at the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Cupcake Café at the Paine, knows the ins and outs of the holiday season. 

“There's a combination of self-guided tour days and guided tour days,” she said. “The museum is set up for Christmas, so we had the Land of Sweets, the room with all the cakes, and the main area with trees.”

North junior Sophia Rommelfanger has worked as an employee of the Paine Art Center and is familiar with the appeal of the holiday exhibit. 

“The Nutcracker in the Castle at the Paine Art Center is our main interactive story where you’re able to walk through the rooms of the mansion that have been decorated to look like the story seen in the ballet,” she said.

The sugary sweets served in the mansion add to the magic and spark interest from some of the youngest attendees. Sylvia loves seeing the excitement every year. 

“We serve Tamara’s Cupcakes, hot chocolate, milk, and coffee,” she said. “In the mansion, they serve cookies and punch. In one shift, we can serve up to 300 or 500 people.”

Senior Senja Sippert, who worked as a Sugar Plum Fairy at the Cupcake Café, enjoyed greeting her youngest visitors. 

“The best part about it was really being with the kids,” she said. “I really liked being with the kids and the little dancers. I love dance and ballet, so teaching the little girls and boys ballet moves was just so much fun.”

Despite the event’s most popular demographic consisting of younger children, the Paine welcomes all to join in on the fun and festivity. Rommelfanger greets all types of people at the front doors. 

“We see everyone from babies to grandmas, because grandmas bring their grandchildren,” she said. 

Sylvia believes the characters and storyline provide the largest contributing factor. 

“I think children enjoy it the most because of the interactions they can get between our Sugar Plum Fairies and the Drosselmeyer and Clara,” she said. 

Senior Meredith Weston played her part in the holiday magic by covering the entertainment as a dancer for the Nutcracker.

“I dance for Valley Academy for the Arts in Neenah, which provides all the dancers for The Nutcracker in the Castle,” she said. “Near the end of the tour, the guide will bring the guest into our ballroom. We dance trios, duets, and solos, and sometimes we dance on pointe.”

Weston looks forward every year to the seasonal event.

“The Nutcracker in the Castle really encapsulates the magic and the beauty of the holiday and winter season,” she said.

Although the holiday season is a fan and employee favorite, Rommelfanger admits that running Santa’s workshop for months on end comes with its own set of difficulties.

“The hardest part is remembering that it’s still the first time people coming in later in the season see everything, so you still have to make it as magical as it was for the first people to come through,” she said. “You can’t be less excited because you’ve already done this a few times because they haven’t yet.”

Because of the intricate work and commitment that goes into The Nutcracker in the Castle, Rommelfanger appreciates the short intermission between exhibits. 

“There’s a break from mid-January to March,” she said. “They have to take everything down and set up for the next event, The Rooms of Blooms.”

Sylvia acknowledges The Nutcracker in the Castle’s popularity, but also reminds others of other interesting events run by the Paine Art Center. 

“We do have other events,” she said. “Rooms of Blooms is a spring and summer celebration, and we decorate with flowers and plants everywhere. In The Nature of Light: An Exploration after Dark, artists are coming from Chicago and they're doing these sculptures in the garden to walk around at night.” 

Moving past difficulties and maintenance in the long holiday season, Rommelfanger finds herself satisfied with her work. 

“The week of Christmas is really especially busy but it’s such a fun job that you don’t really worry about the people coming in,” she said. “You’re just excited to share the Christmas spirit with people.”

Weston is grateful to have the chance to bring joy to others.  

“Being able to perform for the community in such a cool attraction, I think is what makes this an incredible opportunity,” she said. “The costumes we get to wear are very cool, and watching little kids get excited when we dance is such an awesome feeling,” she says.

Sippert hopes to help carry on the special holiday tradition for years to come.

“The Paine is a very magical experience, especially for a young kid, and it’s so unique to Oshkosh alone,” she said. “I think that a lot of people come because it’s tradition and the story of the nutcracker is so classic and there’s just so much magic involved. It feels right, especially in the time of Covid, to have something normal like that.”

by Cristi Isuala-Reyes

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue IV

January 31st, 2022