By The Keystone Newspaper Performances run Friday through Sunday
By John Mahoney
From Friday, Feb. 20 to Sunday, Feb. 22, KU Actors Creating Theater (ACT) will present their spring production, “Fiddler on the Roof.” Performances on Friday and Saturday begin at 7 p.m., and the Sunday performance begins at 2 p.m. All three shows will take place on the mainstage in Schaeffer Auditorium.
Tickets are $14 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8 for KU students and faculty, students under 17 and other college students. Tickets can be purchased online.
“Fiddler on the Roof,” set in early 1900s Imperial Russia, is a story about Tevye, the father of five daughters in the village of Anatevka. Tevye, a Jewish man, grapples with his own religion and the happiness of his older daughters who all defy tradition in different ways.
The director of the production, Emily Novak, said the entire production, including directing, choreography and live music, featuring an onstage fiddler, are all student-performed. Novak highlighted both the music director, Carlee Bonanno, and choreographer Colleen Blockberger for their contributions to the production.
“Carlee is incredible. She wanted to be in the show, so she’s playing Golde, Tevye’s wife, but she also stepped up as our music director. I have no idea how she does it all,” Novak said. “Our choreographer is also amazing. She had to do a ton of research on 1900’s Russian dance.”
Novak praised her assistant directors, Lynda Feustel and Avi Lovitt, as well as the rest of the creative team and actors. “Fiddler on the Roof” was noted by Novak as a more serious and emotional pursuit for ACT.
“We have such an amazing team on this, and we really wanted to put on a serious show. Something that people will take seriously and really think about,” said Novak. “There is still a lot that’s funny about Fiddler, but this was a story we all felt was important to tell.”
The creative team behind ACT’s “Fiddler on the Roof”
Photo Credit: Emily Novak