Behind the Curtain of Holiday Cheer

There isn’t a recent holiday season in Reed Sigmund’s memory when the Grinch hasn’t followed him home from Children’s Theatre Co. (CTC). Long after the actor scrubs off his show makeup at the end of the day, his skin is left with a constant greenish-yellow hue, and remnants of the Grinch’s signature cadence linger in his voice after hours. “My kids just know that I’m gonna look the way I do for the holiday season, and that when I’m home, my voice is gonna sound a little different,” he says.

For many Minnesotans, the spirit of the holiday season is encapsulated in the Twin Cities’ dazzling performing arts scene. Perhaps there’s an annual show that brings multiple generations of your family to the theater, or a production you’ve attended with your children since before they could talk. These traditions make the few weeks surrounding the winter holidays feel magical—but that sense of wonder doesn’t come without sacrifice. Behind the scenes, performers like Sigmund trade cozy nights and family visits for countless hours of physically demanding rehearsals and performances to keep the spirit alive for everyone else.

Sigmund has been involved in CTC’s production of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” since 2002 and will be playing the titular character for the eighth time this year. The show typically has a two-month run, opening in November and closing in January, but the cast starts rehearsing at the end of September. Sigmund’s daily nine-hour rehearsals often consist of learning new choreography and building relationships with his castmates.

Once the production opens, performances run Wednesday through Sunday, often with two shows in a day, and Sigmund is at the theater around the clock. In short: It’s a lot of work. “You get to the end of those days, and physically, emotionally, and vocally, you’re beyond exhausted,” he says. “I will say, I’m not complaining. So many people’s careers involve all sorts of physical exhaustion, and I’m aware of how lucky I am to do what I do.”

There’s an emotional toll that comes with show business, as well. To keep up with the demands of being the Grinch, his own personal traditions often fall to the wayside, Sigmund explains. Originally from Fargo, North Dakota, Sigmund would often drive to see his family for Thanksgiving upon moving to the Twin Cities—but with shows on the calendar the day before and the day after the holiday, making this trek is no longer feasible. “I don’t really ever spend the holidays with my parents or siblings, or anybody back in Fargo,” he says.

This is also the case for Keara Nichols, a dancer with Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota (TCB) who will be a part of “A Minnesota Nutcracker” for the second time this year. Nichols is from California and moved to the Twin Cities metro two years ago, after signing a contract with TCB. Like Sigmund, her schedule doesn’t allow enough time to go home and visit family for Thanksgiving, and the physical demands of the ballet make it difficult to keep up with other holiday festivities. “I’m the biggest Christmas fan there is, so I really try to incorporate as much of the Christmas season as I can, but you’re so exhausted mentally and physically, it is hard,” Nichols says. “We do have to make changes to things I’ve grown up doing.”

Brianne Bland Photography

While holiday shows are often more rigorous than other productions, the season isn’t lost entirely for these artists—it’s simply reshaped. “My family and I have had to create our own new traditions, and ‘The Nutcracker,’ has taken part in those,” says Nichols. “My family comes out and they watch the performances, and we do things together out here. It just looks different… but it becomes normal.”

For Sigmund, keeping the holidays alive at home means taking advantage of having Mondays and Tuesdays off to spend time with his wife (who is also involved in the production) and kids, often watching Christmas movies, baking cookies, or going for drives to look at holiday lights—all of which he balances with prioritizing rest and healing on his days off.

“One of the most challenging things is just staying healthy,” Sigmund says. “[‘The Grinch’] is a really hard show to do when you’re at full health, so trying to do it if you have a cold or the flu is near impossible.”

With their time, energy, and physical well-being on the line, it’s easy to wonder why anyone would trade their holiday season (and then some) to make these shows happen every year. But for these artists, being a part of creating joy and precious memories is worth every long rehearsal and rescheduled family event.

“You get to the last couple of shows and you’re so exhausted, but you know out in the audience there’s maybe a kid who’s seeing it for the very first time,” says Nichols. “You know you’re bringing that Christmas magic to so many people’s lives that it gives you the adrenaline rush you need to push through the tiring times.”

It’s a first-hand reminder of why performers do what they do: to inspire, to entertain, and to make magic on stage. Even for a veteran actor like Sigmund, it’s the direct impact on the audience that keeps him coming back to the production year after year.

“You go out there in your first appearance with the Grinch, and you hear the little voices reacting… and you see them out there in their Grinch costumes and holding their Grinch plushies,” Sigmund says. “What a gift and what an honor it is to get to be a part of their childhood and a part of their lives. At the end of the day, even if the voice is tired and the body is tired, you feel like you did something, and you feel like you mattered.”

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” runs Nov. 4-Jan. 4 at CTC, and “A Minnesota Nutcracker” runs Dec. 12-14 at the Ames Center and Dec. 16-17 at Northrop. Visit childrenstheatre.org and twincitiesballet.org for more information and to purchase tickets.

Glen Stubbe Photography