FIRST TIMERS The musical cast is full of theater veterans who have spent many a late night in past years rehearsing group numbers over and over again and getting songs from Shrek and Annie permanently stuck in their heads. Many seniors have been in every musical for the past four years, and some have even been doing BLHS musicals since middle or elementary school. However, not everyone in “Fiddler on the Roof ” is a seasoned musical veteran. There are many cast members for whom “Fiddler” is their first musical. While many of them didn’t know exactly what to expect when they signed up for auditions, they all echo the same sentiment: joining the musical was a great decision. Sophomore Payton Younger decided to try out for “Fiddler on the Roof ” after a friend convinced her. “Rylea Oliver pushed me into the auditorium and told me to try out,” Younger said. Oliver, also a sophomore, had previously played an orphan in “Annie.” Even after persuasion from her friend, Younger said she was still apprehensive about auditions. “I was super scared,” she said, but added that after she got over her initial fears, “it’s been really fun.” Younger wasn’t the only person that Rylea Oliver convinced to try out for the
by Calder Hollond
musical. Sophomore Jada Mitchell also cited Oliver as the reason she decided to be a part of “Fiddler.” Like Younger, Mitchell was “terrified” before auditions, but now loves rehearsals. Her favorite thing about the musical is the directors: teachers Rebecca Knowles and Cindy Reynolds. “They make it a lot more fun,” she said. Many other first-timers cite friends as the reason they decided to try out. While junior Michael McEvoy has acted in school plays before, it took persuasion from his friends to finally convince him to audition for a musical. “It’s interactive,” McEvoy said of the rehearsal process. “I’m having a lot of fun just talking to everyone.” Still, not all the first-timers were persuaded by their theater-loving friends. Freshman Erica Brady decided to audition of her own volition, although she was initially reluctant. “I didn’t want to regret not doing it, so I just went for it,” she said. Brady definitely has not regretted her
WHAT’S MY LINE?
MAIN CHARACTERS TALLY NUMBER OF LINES MEMORIZED By Tristan McGehee
decision. Like McEvoy, she said she loves the rehearsals. “We all have a really great time every rehearsal,” Brady said. While the musical does take up quite a bit of her time, she doesn’t mind. She said she loves having a musical ‘family’ that provides her with a “great environment where you can make mistakes.” First-timer and sophomore Morgan Buchholz agrees that the musical can be time-consuming, but like Brady, doesn’t see that as much of a problem. “It’s worth the time,” she said. “I’m really excited for it, because I think people will really like it.” While the musical novices this year all auditioned for different reasons and were assigned different roles, they all seem to be in agreement that joining the musical cast has been fantastic and has provided them with many new experiences and friends. Younger, Mitchell, Buchholz, McEvoy, and Brady all agreed when asked if they were planning on auditioning next year, answering with a resounding “yes.” Students for whom “Fiddler” is their first musical seem to not have regretted their decision to try out, and hopefully next year the auditorium will be filled with even more new faces of students eager to delve into the world of musical theater.
by Erin McGowan
A HISTORY OF MUSICALS Musicals have become a staple of our lives. From Broadway to Bobcat Country, musicals are a big deal. Things weren’t always that way, though. To understand how musicals became the things they are now, one must first understand where they came from and why they came about. The story all begins with a man named John Gay. John was the first man to realize the value of music in connection with plays. It is well known that music has a mental bearing on people. Mr. Gay realized this, and started to put the pieces together. The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay is considered the predecessor of modern musicals. Although it featured no storyrelated music, it did use music to fill in the background. Think of it like putting salt on something. It’s not necessarily needed, but it does make it better. On January 28th of 1782, The Beggar’s Opera had its first performance. The owner of the theatre was highly skeptical, worrying that the play would turn people away because of the music. He was proven wrong when the play alone gave him enough profits to build a brand new theatre. The play sparked the beginning of musical numbers in theatrical performances. In
addition, it created a staple for musicals: satire. The Beggar’s Opera used satire to attack political ideals, poverty, and injustice. A new play genre soon popped up, known as burlesque. Plays under this genre took music and used it to exaggerate the satire found in the performance. This was the first time that music was truly a part of the performance, not just an addition. Now music was used to advance the play to higher levels. The first company to take this idea and run somewhere with it was the Comedy Opera Company in England. Led by Mr. D’Oyly Carte, the Company featured burlesques such as The Sorcerer, which first opened in 1877. The first person to create a true ‘musical’ was George Edwardes. George created the Musical Opera genre in the late 1890s. The transition featured a change from being satirical to being modern and hip. The transition also saw a slight decrease in musical complexity, and added dancing to the mix. George’s plays suffered a huge influence from romanticism. Their topics stopped attacking things and started focusing on beauty and the good in the world itself. When one of his shows would open, he
by Adam Crouse wouldn’t so much as glance at the stage. Instead, he would watch the audience’s faces to see what they liked most. This led to nine of his musicals being shown over 500 times, a record for that time. The introduction of musical operas saw the beginning of ‘escapist entertainment’ during World War I. People needed a way to get away from all the chaos of a world war. The musical Oklahoma! was the first true American musical. Produced by Rodgers and Hammerstein, the play made music an essential puzzle piece in a theatrical performance. Now, music and dance was used to propel the plot forward. In other words, without the music, the show would make no sense and have major plot holes. The introduction of Oklahoma! started a period where London’s theaters were dominated by American musicals, not their own. Over time, plays formed to use music, creating musicals, which themselves morphed into the style we know nowadays. It wasn’t quite seamless, but it was close. Shows like The Beggar’s Opera, The Sorcerer, and Oklahoma! paved the way for musicals in mainstream culture.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR ABIGAIL SCHIF Tzeitel
ERICA BRADY Chava
What should the audience look for in the show?
How do you relate to your character?
How beautiful I look in the wedding scene. I’m not even kidding, we look so good.
I relate to my character in the fact that Chava loves to learn. I don’t necessarily love reading like Chava, but I love to learn new things.
ZACH KAMM Tevye
What is the most challenging aspect of being your character? Having a different emotion every minute.
by Morgan Buchholz
GARRETT COOK Fyedka
What should the audience look for in the show? Watch for the drunkards in the background of the “To Life” scene. They’re really fun to watch.
six things you didn’t know about
“FIDDLER ON THE ROOF”
by Ashley Hicklin
1. “Fiddler” is based off of a series of
short stories. Written by Sholem Aleichem and entitled “Tevye and His Daughter,” the stores are set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in 1905. The story was converted to a book by playwright Joseph Strein.
5. “Fiddler” was a huge hit in Tokyo.
The show became a huge hit in Japan, of all places, where it has been produced hundreds of times since 1967.
6. “Fiddler” won nine Tony Awards.
The original production won nine of the ten Tony Awards it was nominated for, including the Best Musical award.
2. “Fiddler” was originally performed
on Broadway in 1964, where it became the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances.
3. “Fiddler” took its name from a
painting. Although the story is based off of short stories, the musical was named by the painting by Marc Chagall, “The Fiddler.”
4. The original production played 900
sellouts. The story was originally turned down by multiple producers, yet went on to become a huge hit. Within 26 months, the show had returned a profit of 352 percent to investors.
Cast Members Share About Their Characters and Reveal Insider Tips for Watching Tonight’s Show LACEY TAVIS Hodel
JAKE REED Motel
What should the audience look for in the show?
How do you relate to your character?
The trees in “The Dream” scene. You can’t see them unless you really look for them. It’s super funny!
He’s really excited and happy all the time, a lot like me.
CLAUDIA JACOBS Golde
What’s the most difficult aspect of being your character? Portraying her. I don’t have five children and I don’t live in 1905, so that’s hard.
JEREMY RAGSDALE Perchik
What is the most challenging aspect of your character? Finding ways to go against tradition. I’m a traditional guy, so finding ways to to make it seem like I’m against them is hard.
Need to pass the time while you’re waiting for the show to start? See how well you know “Fiddler on the Roof”!
by Colin Coon
Word Bank daughter fiddler Jewish mama musical papa Russia Sabbath son tradition wedding
ACROSS
5. The title of the one who arranges marriages in “Fiddler on the Roof.” 7. The village where the play takes place. 8. The country in which the play takes place.
DOWN
1. Tevye’s religion. 2. The main officer of the Russian army in the district. 3. A figment of Tevye’s imagination. 4. The opening song and the main theme of the play. 6. The main character of “Fiddler on the Roof.”
GIRLS PLAYING BOYS
by Libby Stallbaumer
The musical “Fiddler on the Roof ” requires many male acting parts – more than the amount of boys that tried out. Due to this, directors Rebecca Knowles and Cindy Reynolds had to cast some girls as boys. One of these ‘papas’ is Carly Gore. She enjoys playing a man because she thinks that it gives her a new perspective as an actress. “My favorite part about playing a boy is that I get to have a beard,” Gore said. “I like playing a man because it makes things more interesting.” Junior Erin Laney plays both a Russian dancer and a son. She has been in multiple previous productions and has played a boy before. “I really enjoy playing a man because I feel like it helps me branch out as a person and as an actress,” Laney said. “I consider myself a tomboy and so I really enjoy getting to just act like one of the guys.”
Junior Claire Walsh and sophomore Libby Stallbaumer practice a dance scene before their audition in August.
MAKING THE SET
The fall musical has a lot of work put into it besides what you see on the stage tonight. With teamwork and crafty hands, play production students work hard to make sure the setting of the play comes to life. Here’s an insight on what goes on behind the scenes.
Usually the set of the play takes a lot of time to put together. The cast and crew have been working on the play ever since the first day of school. The play production class meets every Gold day during 4th block to bring the set to life. “Ms. Knowles puts a lot of her own time into the play,” senior Kendra Otterman said.
by Siera Bernard
Junior Lacey Tavis, who plays Hodel and also works on the set, said that the entire cast and crew worked very hard to make this musical come to life. Those who work on the set only work at school during school hours. Actors, however, spend about three hours per day rehearsing after school.
Tavis’s favorite props are the mop and bucket, since she dances with those props. Behind the scenes, the cast and crew have been working tirelessly both during and after school since the beginning of the school year to bring “Fiddler on the Roof ” to life.
The set crew can confirm that painting is one of the fun parts of putting together the set. Otterman said her favorite prop would have to be the tombstones, since they are a part of her favorite scene. “I can’t reveal what the scene is about, because it would spoil that part in the play,” she said.
Sophomore Payton Younger works on the set during Gold 4 Play Production class.
SHOW PREPARATION Senior Garrett Cook is a veteran high school thespian. He acted in last year’s school rendition of Annie, and this year’s musical, “Fiddler On The Roof,” is no different. But despite more than a year of acting experience, Cook admits, “Nothing can totally prepare you for the night of the show.” What actually happens on the night of the show? Sure, we know that the curtain rises and falls, but what happens before and after that? What happens the day of the performance that transforms students’ peers into 20th century Russian Jews? How do those same peers make that transformation multiple times in one weekend? Cook explained that it all begins with a load of nervousness.
Senior actor discusses how he gets ready to perform
“I usually just come home from school. Then I freak out... You start thinking about everything that could go wrong.” Eventually, Cook finds a way to calm down, though he admits that, “sometimes it doesn’t happen until you’re on the way to the school.” Actors and actresses usually show up about an hour and a half early, but from the moment they arrive, Cook says, “it’s go time.” First, actors and actresses have to get into costume. From there, they put on makeup and gather their props. They then begin the sometimes intense and sometimes relaxed transition into character. Cook noted that this part is different for everyone, including himself. “Last year, I was pretty nervous. I had stage fright, and
by Mitchell Mikinski
things definitely weren’t as loose as they are now.” After kids begin their preparations, Cook explained that theater director Rebecca Knowles comes in and gives the kids one final pep talk. “She makes sure that we’re all relaxed and tells us that we’re going to do great.” Then, they wait. Some kids continue last minute preparation, but Cook explained that most just hang out in the green room, waiting for their chance to shine. After the play, in a rather underwhelming fashion, kids clean up and go home. “We usually just take off our makeup, discuss the show, and talk about how tired and hungry we are.” Then, Cook said with a smile, “We do it all over again.”
CHARACTER
WHICH ARE YOU?
Reporter Adam Lang compiled a quiz to help match you with a “Fiddler on the Roof ” character. Take your phone out and scan this code to take the quiz.
Check out more at blhsnews.com! EXPRESS STAFF Editor-in-Chief: Mitchell Mikinski Managing Editor: Calder Hollond Reporters: Emma Hall, Ashley Hicklin, Adam Lang, Siera Bernard, Colin Coon, Katie Fulkerson, Adam Crouse, Libby Stallbaumer, Morgan Buchholz, Erin McGowan, Tristan McGehee Adviser: Kristen Loney Letters to the editor or inquiries about advertising in The Express can be sent to expressblhs@gmail.com.