Three Dogs Selected To Replace 19-year Old Retiree In Festival Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER

The search is over. Three very special dogs - Teddy, Phoebe, and Bronx - have been selected as the newest additions to the cast of Festival Ballet Providence's The Nutcracker at PPAC.

These fluffy finalists were selected out of an original group of nearly 50 dogs that auditioned earlier this month. A second round of callbacks was held under the lights on the PPAC stage this past Tuesday, from which two dogs were selected by a panel of judges. A third "wild card" was voted in by "pup-ular" opinion on the Company's Instagram page (festivalballetprovidence). More than 1,000 votes were cast in under seven hours.

The search was commissioned after the Company announced the beloved Nutcracker mascot "Archie" would retire from the stage this year. The three new cast mates will be the first new canine cast members since Archie first took the stage 19 years ago.

The three dogs will attend rehearsals next week and will ultimately alternate performances of The Nutcracker, Dec. 21-23, 2018. Interviews can be made with prior arrangements.