Nutcracker season is upon us and this season we have a few guest performers joining us for our production. Today I would like to announce that Craig A. Ellingson, Director of Theatre Arts at MSUM, will be playing the role of Drosselmeyer this season! Craig has an extensive acting and dance background and we are excited to have him as part of our cast this season! Below is more information on Craig and his career.
Craig A. Ellingson is the Director of Theatre Arts at Minnesota State University Moorhead where he
teaches in the area of acting, directing, musical theatre, movement and dance. During his recent sabbatical
he finished a year-long study with The Dell’Arte School of Physical Theatre. As a founding member of
Music Theatre Fargo-Moorhead, he has had the privilege of creating the roles of the Bobby in Company,
Emcee in Cabaret, Jekyll in Jekyll and Hyde, Charlie Brown in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; Jamie
in The Last Five Years; Toad in A Year with Frog and Toad; Jeff in [title of show] and many others. Other
musical theatre performance credits include Gordo in A New Brain, Harold Hill in The Music Man, Albert
in Bye, Bye Birdie, Che in Evita and Rutledge in 1776. He has also performed at the Kennedy Center with
Signature Theatre’s production of Overtures. In addition to his musical theatre performance experience,
Craig has danced and directed professionally in the Midwest. Craig holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre
Performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a M.F.A. in Theatre Directing from Minnesota
State University Mankato.