Tevye, played by senior Bryan Conlee, contemplates his wealth (or lack thereof) in “The Fiddler on the Roof” on Sunday, Feb. 9. Photo by Michelle Liu.
by Zach Kluver, staff reporter
“The Fiddler on the Roof,” a play based on a book by Sholem Aleichem, tells the story of a father of a family of Russia-based Jews struggling to make them hold onto their traditions and culture despite hardships that come their way, but he has five daughters who each fight against his attempts to do so. And matters are only made worse by tensions between anti-semetic Russians and the impending invasion of troops forcing them out of their home and village.
The lighting designer dims the spotlight and everyone in auditorium decreases their speaking volume by a few decibels. An actor steps out of the shadows and dramatically gestures his hands and begins talking. He is cut off after a few lines by the director, who tells him to “try it with more spirit and anger.” He tries again and is cut off and corrected again. After doing it correctly the third time, they move onto the next line, with another actor, but again it doesn’t sound quite right, and the director tells her to say the line with more intensity. This tedious and frustrating process is something that members of the choir have to deal with on a daily basis.
“In the beginning, we have this thing called ‘blocking’ where we run through a few of the scenes [each day]. And of course, if you aren’t part of the scene you don’t have to come,” senior Bryan Conlee, who played the lead part of Tevye, said. “But later, we have full-act rehearsals and full-run rehearsals, and then everyone has to come every day.”
Despite the immense pressure that comes from work of this caliber, Conlee seemed unfazed.
“I’ve been doing stage stuff all my life, from playing trumpet, acting in plays – between all of that, I’ve actually grown out of stage fright,” he said.
As with any theater production, there are more people than just actors involved, such as junior Jeremy Rees. Rees is part of a unique course called Technical Theater that teaches about the complex systems that the people in the sound box of the auditorium have to deal with. Rees programs a list of commands for the lights to go through, and as the play goes on, he presses a button to move onto the next command as the scene each change is prepared for begins.
“It’s for people who want to help with theater shows but not be on stage,” Rees said. “We build sets, we do lights and sound, and we do costumes and stage managing.”
Props were built in a large warehouse filled with assorted materials near the back of the school, by everyone from actors to parents. Conlee points to a large wooden wagon sitting near the wooden frame of a building.
“I built that wagon myself,” Conlee said. “It’s kind of beautiful.”
Choir director Travis Angel worked with the actors to make sure they portray the characters accurately and are prepared for the performance.
“’The Fiddler on the Roof’ is unique because it’s a lot less modern than a lot of plays,” he said. “It has its own style.”
Despite the story’s age and setting, Angel can list many themes “The Fiddler on the Roof” features that relate to students.
“It has themes about tradition, high school life, alienation and changes in perceptions, which are all things that Consol students and high school students in general have to deal with,” Angel said.
Directing for plays is a lot different than movies, according to Angel. Of course, there’s no second take like in movies, so they have to repeat a scene multiple times to make absolutely sure that the actors have memorized everything and will do it right. Instead of directing cameras, the director and stage manager make sure that all the props can be set up properly and efficiently to give the illusion that the actors are where they are supposed to be.
Regardless of the amount of work it takes to do a theater production, the actors remained optimistic prior to opening night.
“Yeah, it’s going to be great,” Conlee said.
