Lieutenant Gov., Harrison, Rizzotti, and Miss Conn. to Make Appearances in The Nutcracker

The cast of the Hartt Community Division's 2011 production of "The Nutcracker." Thomas Giroir Photography.

A number of special guests from both on and off campus will make cameo appearances in the Hartt Community Division's upcoming production of The Nutcracker.

Special guests from the community will include Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman and Chad Williams, director of program services for the Boys & Girls Club of Hartford.

Closer to home, University President Walter Harrison, Women's Basketball Head Coach Jennifer Rizzotti, and Emily Audibert '13, the reigning Miss Connecticut, will make appearances in The Nutcracker.  Audibert, a triple major in the Barney School of Business and a lifelong dancer, will be representing Connecticut at the 2013 Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas in January. Another University celebrity, mascot Howie the Hawk, will also make a cameo appearance in The Nutcracker.

The Hartt Community Division invites community and campus leaders to participate in The Nutcracker "to strengthen our connections with the community, but more importantly to demonstrate, once again, the power of the performing arts to engage individuals from all walks of life," said Hilary Respass, director of the Hartt Community Division.

The Nutcracker will be performed on Friday, Dec. 14, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 15, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 16, at 2 p.m. All performances will take place in Millard Auditorium.

Admission to each performance is $30 for adults; $15 for students 12 and under; and $20 for other students and senior citizens with ID. To purchase tickets, please call the University Box Office at 860.768.4228 or 800.274.8587 or visit hcd.hartford.edu. For more information, contact Amanda Kilpatrick, Hartt Community Division Dance Department, at 860.768.2491.

Read more about the Hartt Community Division's upcoming production of The Nutcracker.