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TOLEDO, OH — The Toledo Ballet and Toledo Symphony Orchestra today announced that Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz will play the role of Mother Ginger in this year’s 78th Annual Nutcracker on Saturday, December 8, 2018 at 7 PM at the Stranahan Theater. Mayor Kapszukiewicz will replace The Andersons President & CEO, Pat Bowe, who has rescheduled his appearance as Mother Ginger for next year. “I am proud to welcome Mayor Kapszukiewicz to the Nutcracker stage,” says Zak Vassar, President & CEO of the Toledo Symphony. “He has shown himself to be an advocate for classical music, particularly the music of Beethoven, and I appreciate the attention he has given to the arts during his first year in office. I applaud the Mayor’s willingness to have some fun on stage in support of the Toledo Ballet.” In Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, appearance of Mother Ginger in Act Two brings a light-hearted distraction from the more serious roles in the ballet. Best recognized by her enormous hoop skirt from which her Gingersnap children spill out at the beginning of their dance, Mother Ginger’s antics delight audiences with equal part hilarity and cute-factor from the children. The role of Mother Ginger is a long-standing coveted comic role for Toledo leaders. Mayor Kapszukiewicz is the first Toledo Mayor to play the honorific role as Mother Ginger in Toledo Ballet’s Nutcracker. This season’s other Mother Gingers will be played by Chris Caputo (Caputo & Associates), Jay Berschback (WTVG13 Weatherman), and Zak Vassar (President & CEO, Toledo Symphony Orchestra). “It is an honor to have been selected for this larger-than-life role,” says Mayor Kapszukiewicz. “This might be the only character in the history of theater that I don’t have to lose weight to portray.” Wade Kapszukiewicz was elected mayor of Toledo in November 2017 and took the oath of office on January 2018, becoming the 58th mayor of the city. During his first year in office, the City of Toledo passed a balanced budget (the first unanimously passed since 2013), hired 80 new police officers, resurfaced more miles of roads than any year in the past two decades, created a bike share program, secured funding to clean up the long-blighted former Champion Spark Plug site, and helped lead a neighborhood coalition to save historic St. Anthony Catholic Church from demolition. Most notably, Toledo City Council unanimously passed Mayor Kapszukiewicz’s plan to create a regional water system that will share decision-making authority with suburban partners while ensuring long term affordable water rates. Toledo Ballet’s Nutcracker, presented in collaboration with the Toledo Symphony, will be performed Saturday, December 8 at 2 PM and 7 PM, and Sunday, December 9 at 2 PM at the Stranahan Theater. Tickets range from $27-$65 and are available at toledosymphony.com or by calling the Toledo Symphony Box Office at 419.246.8000. For more information, please contact Allie Dresser, Marketing Manager for the Toledo Symphony at adresser@toledosymphony.com. ### ABOUT THE TOLEDO ALLIANCE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS (TAPA): The Toledo Symphony and Toledo Ballet are the region’s oldest performing arts institutions. The Toledo Symphony, celebrating its 75th anniversary, is recognized as one of the finest regional orchestras in the country. Toledo Ballet, celebrating its 78th season, is recognized as one of America’s finest pre-professional dance programs. By joining forces as the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), the Symphony and Ballet will build on an accumulated 153 years of history and tradition to present the finest performing arts in the region while reaffirming their shared focus upon education. The Toledo Symphony and Toledo Ballet will continue to operate as sibling brands under the TAPA umbrella. For more information, please visit www.artstoledo.com.