The president of St. Edward’s University will be cross-dressing for this year’s employee Christmas celebration.

George E. Martin will make his ballet debut as Mother Ginger in Ballet Austin’s production of The Nutcracker. The performance and Christmas party will take place on Dec. 4 at the Long Center.

“It was suggested that I play Mother Ginger, and in a weak moment, I said yes,” Martin said.

Martin added that his role is in conjunction with the university’s continuous 125th anniversary celebration.

“The folks who plan the annual Christmas party were trying to think of some way to make it different, special, for the 125th anniversary,” Martin said. “They also wanted to link it up to a community organization, and so it evolved into the idea that, well, maybe we can work with Ballet Austin to create an event that would be a little different than what we have annually that would be enjoyed by the employees of the university.”

Ballet Austin invites a different local celebrity to play the role of Mother Ginger in each performance of The Nutcracker every year. Martin will dance in the footsteps of previous Mother Gingers, including Paul , founder of RunTex; Bill Powers, president of the University of Texas at Austin, Texas Tribune CEO and Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith; Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell and other local celebrities.

There will be no rehearsal or practice before the performance for Martin.

“I think that’s how they kind of get you to agree to do it; they don’t entirely disclose to you what you have to do,” Martin said.

However, Martin does have an idea of what his role entails because he has attended Ballet Austin’s performance of The Nutcracker in the past.

“They locate you atop a large rolling platform, and it’s dressed like a large woman with a very wide skirt, and under that skirt are children. As Mother Ginger comes out, she opens her skirt and the children run out,” Martin said.

Mother Ginger makes an appearance in the second act of the ballet. She dances as part of the Sugar Plum Fairy’s court in the Candy Castle. Mother Ginger is a large gingerbread house who has little gingerbread children dance around her. After the dance is over, Mother Ginger and the little gingerbread children leave the stage.

Martin added, though, that seeing the play and being in it are two different things.

“I really don’t know what to anticipate. My intention is to have some fun with the audience,” Martin said.

Other notable people playing Mother Ginger in this December’s production of the Nutcracker include Marques Harper, fashion writer for the Austin American-Statesman; Rhoda Mae Kerr, Austin’s fire chief, and Mike Barnes, sports director at KVUE-TV.