The designs of Scottish Ballet’s The Nutcracker are influenced by a range of historical time periods. Choreographer Ashley Page and designer Antony McDonald have created a clear timeline throughout the story so that The Nutcracker takes the audience on a journey backwards in time, beginning in 1920s Weimar Germany and which leads into a 19th century German version of a French court.

The Weimar Republic was established in 1919, Post World War 1, in order to replace the imperial form of government. A democracy emerged which was both decadent and liberal. This period directly preceded Hitler’s Third Reich (1933).

Although the Weimar republic is spoken about as one of the most modern constitutions, it is widely recognised that it was a period with many political and economic problems.

During the party scene in The Nutcracker, the Stahlbaum family acts out The Story of the Hard Nut, and the party degenerates into adult decadence representative of the liberal Weimar Republic.

Design influences

The designs of The Nutcracker are inspired by art, fashion, history and fantasy as well as the original story by ETA Hoffman.

The Stalbaum house is modelled on the house of German expressionist Max Beckmann, which was thought to be have been designed by his wife, while Marie’s dolls house is a miniature replica of the house which was influenced by the design style of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. See The Nutcracker trailer

German artists Max Ernst, Otto Dix and René François Ghislain Magritte are represented throughout the production. The image of the girl reading the book on the front cloth comes from a painting  called La Lectrice Soumise (1928) by Belgian surrealist artist  René François Ghislain Magritte. The image was manipulated by computer.

Read more: download Jackie McGlone's review below to discover more about the costumes and set of The Nutcracker.

 Jackie McGlone Review (4.32 MB)