BLOOMINGTON — An ambitious, multi-decade collaboration between Indiana Public Media and one of the world’s premier music schools has taken center stage in the television industry.
WTIU Public Television and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music have officially earned a Regional Emmy Award nomination from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) Central Great Lakes Chapter. The production, titled The Nutcracker at the Jacobs School of Music, was nominated in the fiercely competitive Arts/Entertainment – Long Form Content category.
The nod celebrates the 2025 Central Great Lakes Regional Emmy Awards competition, which honors media excellence across Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Bringing an Immersive Holiday Classic to 90% of the Country
The nominated production showcases a bold, stereotype-breaking contemporary interpretation of the classic holiday ballet choreographed by Jacobs School associate professor of ballet, Sasha Janes.
Filmed live in 4K resolution at IU’s iconic Musical Arts Center (MAC), the program was picked up for national distribution via American Public Television. It went on to broadcast across 300 public television markets, reaching roughly 90 percent of households across the United States.
Unlike standard archival recordings, the project was planned as a hybrid of live performance and cinematic storytelling. To capture the sweep of the choreography alongside Tchaikovsky’s timeless score, crews filmed across three separate sessions—including a live audience performance, a dress rehearsal, and a dedicated closed-set session using Steadicams on stage to place the home viewer directly in the middle of the dance.
The project marks the first extensive joint venture between Indiana Public Media and the Jacobs School of Music in decades, demanding months of synchronized post-production.
“This nomination reflects the extraordinary talent and dedication of everyone involved in bringing this production to audiences,” said Mike Arnold, Executive Director of Indiana Public Media. “From the performers and creative team at the Jacobs School of Music to the producers, directors, engineers, and crew at WTIU, this recognition celebrates the power of collaboration and the strength of arts storytelling in public media.”
A Masterclass in Production Scale
- Ornate Design: The stage featured nearly 800 hand-sewn, custom-designed costumes alongside complex multi-projector set displays.
- Surround Sound Tech: Audio engineers strategically placed more than 70 microphones throughout the MAC’s orchestra pit and stage, generating a custom 5.1 stereo surround sound mix that mimics sitting in the front rows of the theater.
- Creative Narratives: Choreographer Sasha Janes intentionally wove big narrative changes into the production, pulling from the original 1816 E.T.A. Hoffmann book to create a cohesive tie between the first and second acts, complete with clever “Easter eggs” for sharp-eyed viewers.
The Emmy nomination officially recognizes a massive cross-departmental team of television producers, performers, sound designers, and technical staff. Key nominated leadership includes:
- Producers: Todd Gould and Eric Bolstridge.
- Editors: Gabriel Lantz, John Timm, Scott Carmichael, Brock Hamman, Konrad Strauss, Kevin Evans, and Natalie Wells.
- Videographers: Saddam Al-Zubaidi and Jacob Lindsay.
The final winners of the Central Great Lakes Chapter Regional Emmy Awards will be revealed at a formal gala ceremony on June 27, 2026, at the Hotel Cleveland in Cleveland, Ohio.
