MADISON — The Wesserunsett Arts Council will present the Bennington Marionettes in a production of “The Nutcracker” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, in the Rushworth Gymnasium at Madison Junior High School.

The Bennington Marionettes is a touring professional marionette theater founded in 1979 as a theater project of Bennington College. The group performs at schools, civic auditoriums, museums, libraries, fairs and festivals. The puppet theater features a 6-foot by 10-foot proscenium stage to present the 30-inch, hand-crafted marionettes. The performances are classically theatrical in their presentation, although no effort is made to hide the puppeteers working above the 7-foot-high proscenium.

Artistic director and founder of the Bennington Marionettes is Cedric Flower, actor, director, writer and teacher, former faculty member at Bennington College, producer-director on public television, founder of New Hampshire’s Theatre of the Sea and author of “Puppets: Mathods and Materials.”

Lolly Marsh, co-founder, is recognized as one of America’s master puppeteers and artist. Together, the founders have assembled a team of writers, designers, technicians and associate puppeteers to create one of the most respected companies in the nation.

The story of “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” by E.T.A. Hoffman, was first published in Germany in 1819 as a masterpiece of wit, fantasy and narrative excitement. Theater historians find it interesting that Tschaikovsky’s Russian ballet version, called simply, “The Nutcracker,” was far from a critical success when it was first presented at St. Petersburg’s Maryinski Theatre in 1892. Subsequent and annual productions of “The Nutcracker” have triumphed over its early production to become one of the most popular musical masterworks, and immortalizing Hoffman’s original tale.

The Bennington Marionette production of “The Nutcracker” incorporates the Tschaikovsky score. The play begins in the home of the burgomaster who is celebrating Christmas Eve with his family. The two children, Clara and Fritz, wait with their parents by the beautifully decorated tree for the arrival of a special guest.

Every year on this night their mysterious Uncle Drosselmeyer pays his respects to the burgomaster and showers amazing gifts on the children. Herr Drosselmeyer saves a special gift for Clara, a toy nutcracker in the form of a soldier. Fritz wants it for himself, and creating a disagreement, breaks it.

Clara is heartbroken and cries herself to sleep, cradling the new toy in her arms. She awakes to find the nutcracker not only fixed, but alive, and leading Fritz’s toy soldiers in a desperate battle against a horde of invading mice. Clara knocks the chandelier on top of the Mouse King’s head and the battle is won.

As a reward for their efforts, a swan, made entirely of sugar, flies Clara and the brave nutcracker to the magical Land of Sweets, where whole cities are made of candy, and the ugly nutcracker is turned into a handsome prince. Clara is transformed into a beautiful princess as they dance together under the high candy towers and over the cookie bridge.

The performance lasts about 50 minutes. Audiences are limited to a seating of 400. Advance tickets are available at Key Bank and Books Bought and Sold in Madison and at Russakoff’s Jewelry Store in Skowhegan. Tickets also will be available at the door. Tickets are $4 for adults and $3 for students, age 18 and under. The production is sponsored in part by the Madison American Legion and Auxiliary and Shop ‘n Save supermarkets.