DREARY ALL DAY.
TAKING A LIVE LOOK OUTSIDE.
WELCOME BACK.
THE HOUSTON BALLET IS GETTING
READY TO PERFORM THEIR BIGGEST
SHOW OF THE YEAR.
RIGHT?
AND WHILE THE THEATER IS BEING
RENOVATED AFTER HARVEY FLOODED
THE WORTHAM, THEY ARE TAKING THE
SHOW ON THE ROAD.
>> THAT IS A HUGE UNDERTAKING,
FROM COSTUMES TO REHEARSALS.
THE HOUSTON BALLET IS CURRENTLY
GETTING EVERYTHING SET UP AT
THEIR FIRST STOP IN SUGARLAND.
REPORTER STEPHANIE GONZALEZ IS
THERE TO GIVE US A BEHIND THE
SCENES LOOK.
>> Reporter: THE HOUSTON BALLET
IS GETTING READY TO TRANSFORM
THE SMART FINANCIAL CENTER INTO
THE NUTCRACKER.
THE HOUSTON BALLET IS THE UNITED
STATES FIFTH LARGEST BALLET
COMPANY.
SADLY, AS A RESULT OF FLOODING
FROM HURRICANE HARVEY, THE
HOUSTON BALLET'S HOME VENUE, THE
WORTHAM THEATER, IS CLOSED
THROUGH NEXT YEAR.
BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT
HOUSTON IS STICKING TOGETHER.
RIGHT NOW THE SMART FINANCIAL
CENTER IS BEING TRANSFORMED AND
FILLED WITH CHRISTMAS TREES,
CUSTOMIZED FLOORS, LIGHTS,
COSTUMES AND MORE.
>> SO WE'RE DOING WHAT WE CALL
LOAD IN FOR THE SHOW.
SO NUTCRACKER LIVES AT OUR
WAREHOUSE DOWNTOWN.
AND WHEN WE BRING IT TO A THAT'S
RIGHT, WHETHER IT'S THE WORTHAM
OR HERE AT SMART FINANCIAL
CENTER, IT TAKES 18 SEMI TRUCKS
HERE.
THAT'S THE SCENERY AND THE
PROPS.
THEN THERE IS ANOTHER TWO SEMIS
WORTH OF COSTUMES.
WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF
UNLOADING ALL OF THAT STUFF
THROUGH THESE DOORS HERE.
YOU CAN SEE PART OF THE HUGE
CHRISTMAS TREE AS THE TREE GROWS
TOGETHER.
THAT PART OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE
RIGHT THERE WEIGHS 1800 POUNDS.
THAT'S JUST ONE OF THREE PIECES.
THE CHRISTMAS TREE ITSELF WEIGHS
LIKE 6,000 POUNDS.
>> AND THE DANCERS CANNOT DANCE
NOPE.
ELEMENT.
>> WHEN WE'RE AT THE WORTHAM,
WE'VE SPECIALLY DESIGNED FLOOR
AT THE WORTHAM SO OUR DANCERS
CAN DANCE ON THAT.
AT OTHER THEATER, THE FLOOR IS
TOO HARD FOR THE DANCERS.
FLOORS.
FOUR BY EIGHT SHEETS.
IT'S MADE BY A GREAT PARTNER
DISASTER.
>> TALK TO US ABOUT THE CREW.
>> SO WE'RE WORKING WITH LOCAL
51 AND ALSO WITH THE SMART
FINANCIAL CENTER'S CREW.
EFFORT.
THERE ARE 80 PEOPLE ON STAGE
SETTING IT UP ON THE STAGE.
THEN WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER 15
PEOPLE IN WARDROBE BACK STAGE
BRINGING THOSE IN.
>> Reporter: LET'S TALK ABOUT
THE BEAUTIFUL COSTUMES.
>> WHAT MY DEPARTMENT IS DOING
IS LOADING IT INTO THE SMART
FINANCIAL CENTER.
PRODUCTION HAS BEEN HERE FOR
DAYS UNLOADING TRUCKS AND
GETTING THE STAGE READY.
AND WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS WAIT
FOR THEM TO GET TO A CERTAIN
POINT BEFORE WE CAN COME IN AND
DO OUR LOAD IN.
IN THIS ROOM, WHAT YOU'RE SEEING
ARE THERE HAVE BEEN TABLES
ADDED.
WE HAD TO POPULATE THE DRESSING
ROOMS WITH MORE SPACES FOR ALL
OF OUR PERFORMERS.
WE HAVE 282 DESIGNS, I BELIEVE,
IN THIS SHOW.
SO EACH OF THOSE DESIGNS HAS
MULTIPLE PIECES.
SO YOU CAN IMAGINE.
ALL OF THE WIGS AND MAKE-UP.
>> I'M SURE ALL OF THE COSTUMES
ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
BUT IS THERE A SPECIFIC ONE OR A
FEW THAT YOU'RE SORT OF BE
>> YEAH.
THERE IS A LOT IN THIS SHOW LIKE
ALL OF THE HEADS.
WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WITH.
THERE ARE TIARAS AND MASKS AND
BREAKABLE.
SO WE WANT TO BE REALLY CAREFUL
>> Reporter: IS THERE ANYTHING
THAT YOU THINK THE AUDIENCE WILL
DIFFERENT?
>> SURE.
SO AT THE WORTHAM WE HAVE TEN
MORE FEET OF STAGE DEPTH AND
HERE WE'RE TEN FEET SHALLOWER.
SO THERE IS NOT AS MUCH ROOM TO
FIT ALL THE SCENERY.
WE'VE HAD TO MODIFY SOME OF THE
SCENERY AND CREATED SOME NEW
SCENERY FOR SUGARLAND.
IT'S NOT THE SHOW THAT THE
PEOPLE SAW LAST YEAR AT THE
WORTHAM, WHICH IS GREAT.
IT'S DIFFERENT THIS YEAR, BUT
WE'VE INVESTED IN SOME
AUTOMATION TO MAKE THESE
CURTAINS MOVE MAGICALLY.
SO WE'VE REALLY INVESTED IN A
NEW SHOW HERE.
HOMETOWN.
TOGETHER, SUGARLAND IS HELPING
OUT AS WELL.
SO HOW MUCH DOES THIS MEAN TO
YOU TO BE ABLE TO BE ON THE ROAD
AND TO BE PERFORMING IN
SUGARLAND?
>> WELL, AS MUCH HARD WORK AS IT
IS, IT'S EXCITING BECAUSE WE ARE
WORKING AND WE'RE PERFORMING FOR
THE PUBLIC.
THE HOMETOWN TOUR COMES WITH
HUGE CHALLENGES.
THAT'S WHAT WE DO.
WE'RE A DANCE COMPANY AND WE
PERFORM FOR THE PUBLIC.
SO HERE WE ARE.
>> I KNOW ONE OF THE MAGICAL
MOMENTS WE HAVE IN THE SHOW IS
AT THE END OF ACT ONE DURING THE
SNOW SCENE AND WE ARE ACTUALLY
GOING TO SNOW ON THE AUDIENCE.
>> YEAH.
SO IT'S NICE TO WATCH ALL THE
KIDS THAT LIVE IN TEXAS THAT
DON'T GET TO EXPERIENCE SNOW AND
JUST LOOKING UP.
BUT DON'T LICK IT.
IT'S SOAP.
>> Reporter: SO INCREDIBLY
RESILIENT AS THEY SAY, THE SHOW
MUST GO ON.
IT WILL.
WHAT A FANTASTIC BEHIND THE
SCENES LOOK.
>> AND SNOW IN THE AUDIENCE?
>> AND PERFECT TIMING FOR OUR
WINTER WEATHER.
I LOVE THIS.
YOU CAN CATCH THE NUTCRACKER AT
SMART FINANCIAL CENTER STARTING
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 THROUGH
DECEMBER 23.
AND THEN AT HOBBY CENTER
TICKETS START AT JUST $35.