TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — “The Nutcracker” has a new twist thanks to a new production from Troy University’s Department of Theatre and Dance.

Wednesday night, the cast and crew of “Clara’s Nutcracker” held their last dress rehearsal ahead of their first performance.

Dance lecturer and choreographer James Boyd said the production has been in the making for months.

“Starting in around May, we really started to plan and then over the summer, really started to churn ideas, and then everything became kinetic and physical around August,” Boyd said.

Students performing in the ballet are excited for the production to finally take shape.

“I’m a little nervous, but I’m really excited,” Jordan Lewis, who plays Clara, said. “The costumes make everything so much more real and you get so much more real reactions.”

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“This is the first time a lot of us are seeing the show, like all together, so it’s nice being able to see the whole story come together, and you’re able to see all the hard work everybody’s been putting in,” said Ashton Rigby, sophomore theatre major.

During the production, many students were able to work outside of their comfort zone.

“I struggle with acting, so being in this department really pushes me,” Lewis said. “I like reactions to things, and like, how big reactions are.”

“The dance side is a very different world, and it’s really nice being able to kind of step into that side and learn a lot of different things I wouldn’t necessarily learn in the theatre world,” Rigby said.

Students are able to watch the event from Nov. 20-22 as well as Dec. 2 for “Sounds of the Season.”

You can buy tickets for “Clara’s Nutcracker” here or at the Box Office on Troy’s campus.