'Fiddler on the Roof' opens at Conant
It's the timeless tale of Tevye, the milkman, his wife and five daughters balancing their lives like a "Fiddler on the Roof."
Set in the little village of Anatevka, with the help of a colorful and tight-knit Jewish community, Tevye tries to protect his daughters and instill in them the traditional values.
Under the direction of Katherine Apperson, more than 100 Conant High School students and faculty have collaborated over a three-month period to create the musical. Performances are at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26-28, at the Conant High School Plate Auditorium.
Tickets are $10, plus applicable service charges, and can be purchased online at www.ShowTix4U.com (search for "fiddler") or by phone at (866) 967-8167. If available, tickets will be sold one hour prior to each show at the box office at West Entrance 5 of the high school, 700 East Cougar Trail, off Plum Grove Road, Hoffman Estates.
The musical
Winner of nine Tony Awards when it debuted in 1964, "Fiddler on the Roof" is the brainchild of Broadway legends Jerome Robbins and Harold Prince; songwriters Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick; and book writer Joseph Stein.
With songs like "Sunrise, Sunset," "If I Were a Rich Man," "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" and "Tradition!" the Conant cast is under the musical direction of Tim Koll, CHS choral director.
The live orchestra of student musicians will be conducted by Kreg Moorhouse, CHS director of bands. Conant alum and Schaumburg On Stage choreographer Danielle Zyrkowski created all of the dance numbers.
The cast
The Conant production of "Fiddler on the Roof" stars Zack Gold as Tevye, Amy Rodriguez as Golde, Brooke Peterson as Tzeitel, Giovanna Johnson as Hodel, Michele Gurrieri as Chava, Dylan Toth as Motel, Payton Kaye as Perchik, Cameron Hacker as Fyedka, Natalia Styrczula as Yente, Brie Chahine as Bielke, Alyssa Glanzmann as Shprintze, Julia LaSpisa as Grandma Tzeitel, Ashley Rodriguez as Frumah-Sarah, Nate Massa as Lazar Wolf, Andy Vito as Rabbi, Anthony Thomas as Constable, Rob Stanislawski as Mordcha, Sammie Kluch as Shaindel, Nicholas Rogacki as Mendel, Satyajit Sarkar as Avram, Deming Fanslau as Nahum, Matthew Mercurio as Yussel, Scott Grgurich as Sasha, and Kyle Morimoto as The Fiddler.
The ensemble is Michael Tarchala, Keerthi Rajaram, Morgan Schoebel, Anisha Narain, Sophie Douvris, Hailey Schimpf, Emily Mytych, Ally Vasilakis, Lexxi Coleman, Lila Kalanzi, Abriana Tereza, Emily Falcon, Katie O'Brien, Mia Gurrieri, Amanya Meir, Melanie May, Natalie Pirovano, Amanda Grabowski, Logan Kennelly, Charlie Holcomb, Caleb Murray, Logan Franklin, Cali Bessemer, Trinity Bessemer, Erin Minogue, Alicia George, Hannah Gold, Ellie Schroeder, Ailey Yamamoto, Te Amarie Katsman, Maya Kumar, Taylor Tamillo, Rhea Moozhayil, Molly Ladwig, Jessica States, Lexi Tempera, Natalie Urban, Jenna McDonald, and Emily Erhardt.
The pit
Dominic Anzalone (trumpet), Nicolas Avalos (violin), Livia Bensi (French horn), Caleb Boysen (cello), Katie Cornet (trombone), Lauren Day (trumpet), Annie Fu (violin), Molly Holcomb (oboe/English horn), Kevin Kusiak (keyboard), Daniel Kweon (violin), Libby Mayfield (clarinet), Anne Murray (clarinet/bass clarinet), Murat Oguz (double bass), James Preucil (viola), Abigail Rich (violin), Hartej Sandhu (trumpet), Katie Schroeder (percussion), Melania Toczko (bassoon) and Laura Vesco (flute/piccolo).
Tech staff and crew
An army of students are producing the sets, costumes, lighting, sound and marketing for this production under the direction of Lisa Gentry, (art director), David Torpe, (set and tech director), and Jennifer Lange, (costume director).
• Tech Crew: Amber Dean, Zach Cayer, Sebastian Koniecko, Emma Lee, Adya Verma, Hassan Iqbal, Chloe Thonus, Katelin Holian and Hannah Large.
• Art crew: Ellie Bryant (stage manager), Grace Ladwig (stage manager), Jessica Morataya (prop mistress), Tulsi Mehta (prop mistress), Maddy Higgins, Claire O'Connor, Karissa Han, Khushi Patel, Allison Walters, Hassan Iqbal, Kelsey Welch, Patrick Camargo, Joseph Tomaso, Julia Kopacz, and Taylor Corral.
• Costume Crew: Mary Flowers, Sharon Grant, Alana Acker, Marsha Darga, Paige Zielinski, Audrey Kuhn and Gabby Freiberg. Makeup Crew: Ryanne Barker, Emma Lee and Rachel Moore.
The Dramaturges
The richness of the Jewish culture in the book and music of "Fiddler" required a new approach for the CHS musical team.
So, English teacher Stephanie Svarz and senior Molly Holcomb have come onboard as dramaturges, or literary editors. Coaching the cast, crew and orchestra through presentations, the Dramaturges also developed a website at chsfiddlerontheroof.weebly.com.
For the students, these resources will help them learn the language, culture, traditions and the humor of the Jewish culture to make more educated choices as the production comes to life.
For the audience, these resources may help you develop a deeper understanding of the production.