“Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as… a fiddler on the roof!” The Community School of the Arts Civic Theatre in Marion just wrapped up their production of Fiddler on the Roof, a classic musical consisting of themes of tradition, love, acceptance, change, exile, and important lessons to be learned for all. This show was directed by Lauren Dubois and featured sophomore Gracie Spicer as Hodel and sophomore Raegan Mundy (me) as Chava. The show contained over fifty very talented cast members, young and old, ranging from ages as young as six all the way to sixty-two.
Fiddler on the Roof takes place in the little town of Anatevka and focuses on Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman, and his wife, Golde. They have five daughters; Tzeitel, Hodel, Chava, Shprintze, and Bielke. Tevye and the rest of the people in Anatevka have to face many tough challenges such as people going against their traditions, religious intolerance, and eventually being exiled from their village. Perchik, a student from Kyiv, is considered a “radical” by many of the people of Anatevka because his beliefs are different from theirs. Perchik is a big influence on many of the changes of tradition in this story. The role of Perchik was played by Zack Marcum, a sophomore at Madison Grant High School. When asked what was something important that he took away from this process, Zack replied, “I think it is important to show kindness and respect to everyone, even when your ideas and morals do not align with theirs.” He says his favorite part of the rehearsal process was, “surrounding myself with the amazing cast and crew of this show!” Zack is coming up on his eighth year performing with the Community School of the Arts (CSA) in Marion and he has been involved in countless shows throughout his years with CSA. Some advice he would give to someone who is looking into beginning performing and getting involved in musicals is, “Absorb as much knowledge as you can and just have fun!”
As previously mentioned, sophomore Gracie Spicer played the role of Hodel. When asked about the challenges with balancing rehearsals, work, sports, and other activities, she replied, “Some challenges that I had balancing rehearsals and sports were the late nights and having to be up really early the next day.” Gracie’s favorite part of the rehearsal process was “The full runs because it was exactly how the show would be so it was nice to see how it would play out.” Spicer tells us she learned many important lessons such as, “time management, completing homework, and going to bed as early as possible.”
Even if you are not the main character, or if you’re on the crew or in the ensemble, there is always something to be learned for everyone. The director, Lauren Dubois, tells us something she took away was “How important it is to celebrate all the actors’ successes. This has to happen from the lead all the way down to the ensemble. It’s the director’s job to make sure everyone feels important and uses them in the show in a way that makes them feel like a vital part of the story because they are.” Some advice she would give to someone who is looking into doing musicals and performing is “It’s important to devote all your energy into anything you do. You will get out of something that you put into it. So if you want to try a musical, put your whole heart and soul into it and see all the amazing things that can come out of it.”
Fiddler on the Roof is a lovely and enjoyable show for all ages and the themes of love and loss make it relatable for many. This show was a wonderful learning experience for all and was very beneficial for our students. Many new skills and helpful lessons were learned throughout the summer, not only by the audience but also by the cast and crew as they put on this wonderful production.
