2023: Fiddler on the Roof

The Appleton North High School Theatre, Music, and Fine Arts Departments presented the classic Broadway musical, Fiddler on the Roof, March 9-19 in the Orlyn A. Zieman Auditorium. Winner of nine Tony Awards, Fiddler on the Roof has touched audiences worldwide with its humor, warmth and honesty. This popular show has been called one of the greatest musicals ever to hit the stage.

Set in the little village of Anatevka, the story centers on Tevye, a poor milkman, and his five daughters. With the help of a colorful and tight-knit Jewish community, Tevye tries to protect his daughters and instill them with traditional values in the face of changing social mores and the growing anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia at the turn of the last century. Rich in historical and ethnic detail, its moving and vital message continues to resound today. Fiddler on the Roof’s universal themes of tradition and resilience in the face of hatred and hardship cut across barriers of race, class, nationality and religion, leaving audiences crying tears of laughter, joy and sadness.

North’s production features a cast, crew and orchestra of more than 100 students as well an elaborate set, specially designed costumes and makeup, jaw-dropping dance sequences, and a wonderfully wide-ranging and beloved musical score featuring songs such as “Sunrise, Sunset, “If I Were a Rich Man,” “To Life,” “Matchmaker,” and “Tradition.”

North Theatre Director Ron Parker stated, “We are so excited to be able to share this popular and poignant musical story with our community! The message of Fiddler on the Roof has been relevant and impactful down through the years and continues to be so today.”

“In fact, the recent alarming increase in antisemitism across the globe makes this production perhaps more important to be seen and heard than it has for a long time,” Parker said. “The fate of Anatevka, which has been the fate of Jewish communities and the Jewish people for thousands of years, and which has been forced upon other disenfranchised groups for centuries—even up to today’s struggles in the Ukraine which, ironically, is where the village of Anatevka in 1905 was located—will play a major role in our production.”

“Beyond giving audiences the gift of the characters and songs they love, we also plan on further opportunities for learning and growth as to the message behind the music,” Parker said. “In addition to our performances on stage, various displays on the issues raised by the story will be present in the school commons both before and after each show. We will also offer a community conversation on Tuesday, March 14, where those interested can discuss the important issues raised by the musical.”

“We are also so excited to have several of North’s newcomer refugee students involved in the show,” added Parker. “Fiddler on the Roof, in many ways, is their story—one of leaving their homeland to start a new life with new opportunities.”

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