RATCRACKER With Arnie Burton & Eric Berryman to Return to Rattlestick Theater

Rattlestick Theater has revealed details for the second annual Ratcracker. This one-night-only holiday pageant reimagines Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker through the trickster eyes of The Rat King. Part party, part performance, and all mischief, Ratcracker will take place at The Invisible Dog Art Center on Monday, December 9. 

Directed and choreographed by Rattlestick’s Artistic Director Will Davis, Ratcracker is a thrilling mashup of love, war, and rats—with plenty of surprises. It stars Arnie Burton as The Rat King and Eric Berryman as Uncle Drosselmeyer plus an enchanting winter ensemble including Stevie Jae Davis, Ethan Dubin, Mia Fowler, Achilles Mulkey, Han Van Sciver, Sammy Zeisel, and Ema Zivkovic and a special appearance from the first Annual Rat King, Sam Gravitte. 

The evening begins at 7:00 PM with wine, hors d’oeuvres, and, of course, cheese, as the Rat King’s courtiers welcome audiences into his festive domain. The performance begins at 8:00 PM and is followed by additional festivities including more drinks, snacks, and the Rat King’s legendary fundraiser, the RATffle! Each ticket includes complimentary entries into the Rat King’s infamous raffle (RATffle), featuring “carefully” wRATpped presents, personally curated by the Rat King himself. Prizes range from theater tickets and gift cards to more mischievous surprises (like lightbulbs or outdated iPhone chargers)—but you won't know the contents of each prize until the presents are unwrapped. Additional raffle tickets will be available for $5 and all funds from raffle tickets shall be used to support Rattlestick’s ongoing artistic programming. 

Ratcracker is part of Rattlestick’s 2024-2025 season, which marks the first season to be fully envisioned and curated by Davis, the first transgender leader of a major institution without a defined LGBTQIA+ mission. The season includes the world premiere of a new musical, We Are Your Robots, by Obie-winning playwright Ethan Lipton and directed by two-time Tony nominee Leigh Silverman. We Are Your Robots is co-produced with Theatre for a New Audience and is currently playing at Polonsky Shakespeare Center through December 8, 2024.

In Spring 2025, Rattlestick will team up with New Georges to present Two Sisters Find a Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods, a fun, titillating, and surreal theatrical experience by the playwrights and performers Emma Horwitz and Bailey Williams and directed by Tara Elliott.