A note from our Vocal Director, Ms. Julia Wallace:
Fiddler on the Roof has always been one of my favorite shows, having seen it live and watching the movie several times I always thought about how cool it would be to play one of the daughters and run around singing about the old matchmaker. Having never had the opportunity to perform in it myself, being able to be a part of the production of it was something I couldn’t resist. It’s always difficult when sitting down to pick out a show to chose one that not only we will have the cast for but also something that may challenge the kids and make them excited about theater. I think we have done just that, having heard a lot of the cast exclaim how much they like it, realizing it was actually pretty funny and a show that most (if not all) had never performed in before. I hope everyone enjoys the hard work, talent and love that shines through in this casts performance of Fiddler on the Roof.
I would like to start out by saying thank you to all of these talented kids for sharing their love for acting, dancing and music with us this year. It was truly a wonderful thing to be able to witness this cast and crew working through their characters, roles and responsibilities to create this show. To the seniors who have been with us all four years, you’ve come so far since you first graced us with your little tapping feet four years ago in Newsies!
So many people helped to make this possible, thank you to all of the parent volunteers, teacher volunteers, the high school administration, custodial staff, my friends Brad and Chris for assisting with painting portions of the set, to Rabbi Alex and Cantor Arlene for coming to educate our kids and teach them about the various customs and traditions of Jewish faith and helping to prepare the kids for what it meant to be alive during this time, and of course the donation of all of the tallits and yarmulkes that you all will see during the show, and to Mr. Dabkowski who led the program this year as the Theater Club advisor. Colin stepping in to help with literally anything we asked for was a wonderful support and very much appreciated. Mason Brody was literally a life saver this year! He did a phenomenal job painting and adapting the set pieces to create what you all will see this evening. He jumping in with short notice and not a ton of time to take everything to the next level and I don’t know that a simple thank you is enough!
To Bill Larrabee and the entire pit orchestra, Thank you! You all sound great and are a vital part of the show. It was so nice having an actual pit this year after having to scale down for COVID. I’m excited to continue to add more and more live music to future shows and I think with this group it’s totally possible!
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, Shelley Stoffel and her volunteers Amy Froebel and Amy Sheehan. Back when I was in shows here at Alden (we won’t get into how long ago that was!) Shelley assisted with costuming. It felt like old times having Shelley and Amy Froebel here as they both have been HUGE parts of the costuming here at Alden and always do a phenomenal job! The three of you are the reason the kids look amazing and I can’t thank you enough for how effortless you made this for us and how much detail and care you put forth into each and every costume.
Lastly, I would like to thank Paige, Chris, Ethan and Kate for all of your hard work and dedication. There are always some bumps in the road on the path that leads us to opening night but we somehow work through them and I think we can say that we certainly have a show! Thank you for your time and talents!
L’Chaim!!!
