A note from our Co-Directors, Mr. Ethan Schrodt and Mrs. Kate Francis-Schrodt:
Fiddler on the Roof has always held a special place in our hearts, as far as classical shows go. It was Kate’s very first high school musical (playing Golde at Alexander) and one that Ethan has been singing the songs to since we’ve known each other. So, naturally, we were thrilled when we decided upon it as this year’s show at Alden!
As with every story, there are always ways to connect the history to what’s happening in our world today. It’s always been difficult for people of all cultures to let go of some of their traditions to make way for new ideas and acceptance. Tevye is one of our favorite characters, because he shows us that we all have the ability to change our way of thinking and accept new ideas, even though it may be difficult and take time. In the end, standing together in love and acceptance comes away as more important than keeping with tradition, which is such an important lesson to apply to our polarized world in 2023.
To do justice to Fiddler can be a challenge for any production, but especially in high school. We had the unique pleasure of being able to bring in Cantor Arlene and Rabbi Alex from the ARC to speak with the students about the significance of some of the culture that they were representing on stage and answer questions about traditions, characters, costumes and more. We can’t thank the two of them enough for sharing their time, materials, and information with us, and we are confident we speak for everyone when we say that we all learned a lot from the experience! We have grown so very proud of how the students in this production have learned to connect to and represent these characters that lived so long ago.
We certainly couldn’t have brought this show to life without our amazing team of directors. As Drama Club Advisor, Colin Dabkowski was always on top of everything needed to keep the musical running smoothly, and was constantly available for anything and everything we needed. We were able to have the largest pit we’ve had in years thanks to Bill Larabee. We were very lucky to have Paige Rzepka join us this year as choreographer- not to mention having her help out with the many directorial decisions and tasks as well. We are forever thankful for the many hours (and there were many, many hours) Chris Clark put into this show, who once again handled two different positions, one as tech director and the other as set builder. We would also like to thank Max Northem who stepped in to help with lights! Julia Wallace went way beyond her duties as musical director through her help with pretty much every other aspect of the show. We have also been amazed at the incredible work and dedication of Shelly Stoffel and Amy Froebel! (Don’t take our word for it, just look at the beautiful costumes). And of course, we are forever grateful for all of the parents and guardians who help support the Drama Club, and the students who have showed up each day to paint, build, act, sing, and give us sound and lighting.
We are so proud of this show. We dearly hope that you enjoy the production, and that you take a little piece of Anatevka home with you.
