This promises to be a fantastic, a truly
"don't miss it" event! I'll be there for
the July 20 performance and will give
you a report. John Wren
Phamaly Theatre
Company Announces Cast for
“Fiddler
on the Roof”
Music
by Jerry Bock, Lyrics by Sheldon
Harnick and book by Joseph Stein,
Based on Sholem
Aleichem's stories by special permission of Arnold Perl.
Directed by Steve
Wilson
Musical Direction by Donna
Debreceni
Choreography by Debbie
Stark
Denver – Phamaly
Theatre Company presents “Fiddler on the Roof” July 18 - August 11
at the Space Theatre in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Celebrate the power of tradition and
change with this multiple Tony Award-winning musical that has danced its way
into the hearts of people all over the world for nearly 50 years.
As
Tevye tries to hold onto his religion, his Russian-Jewish customs, and his five
daughters, he knows that “without tradition, our lives would be as shaky as a
fiddler on the roof.” Resplendent with some of the most beloved and timeless
songs in musical theatre like “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Matchmaker,” “If I Were a
Rich Man,” and “Do You Love Me,” “Fiddler on the
Roof” is
filled with laughter, warmth, and inspiration for the whole family.
Leading the cast is Mark Dissette as Tevye, reprising the role he played in Phamaly's 1994 production. Other Phamaly performers who graced the stage in the 1994 production are Kathleen Traylor, who played Yente and comes to this production in the role of Golde, Lucy Roucis played Tzeitel and returns as Mordcha and Donna Gunnison played Shaindel and this year steps into the role of Grandma Tzietel. Greg Stanley, Fyedka in '94, and Phamaly founder Teri Westerman, who recently returned to Denver, join the Fiddler ensemble cast.
Leading the cast is Mark Dissette as Tevye, reprising the role he played in Phamaly's 1994 production. Other Phamaly performers who graced the stage in the 1994 production are Kathleen Traylor, who played Yente and comes to this production in the role of Golde, Lucy Roucis played Tzeitel and returns as Mordcha and Donna Gunnison played Shaindel and this year steps into the role of Grandma Tzietel. Greg Stanley, Fyedka in '94, and Phamaly founder Teri Westerman, who recently returned to Denver, join the Fiddler ensemble cast.
Steve Wilson has
cast Phamaly new-comers Rachel Van Scoy as Tzeitel, Kenzie Kilroy
as Hodel, Harper Ediger as Shprintze and Emerson Stark as Bielke;
daughter Chava is played by Lyndsay Palmer. Trenton Schindele has
been cast in the role of Motel, Jeremy Palmer as Perchik, Daniel
Traylor as Fyedka, Kevin Pettit as Lazar Wolf, Ashley
Kelashian as Yente, Amber Marsh as Fruma Sarah, Jamie Lewis as
the Constable and Don Mauck as the Rabbi. Rounding out the Fiddler
cast is Ben Kassman (Mendel), Lisa Young (Yussel), Don
Gabenski (Nachum), Linda Wirth (Shaindel) and ensemble members
Kevin Ahl, Brian Bernard, Edric Kelashian, Maryann Migliorelli, Mallory Moss,
Molly Nash, and Shannon Wilson.
This
year Phamaly has a Guest Artist, Sophia Hummel, playing the role of the
Fiddler. Sophia is currently a student at the San Francisco Conservatory, and
her bow arm is amputated at the elbow. She uses an adapted bow in order to
perform. A second Fiddler plays the Fiddler’s son. Leslie Wilburn is 11
years old. He lives locally and performs as concertmaster with the Denver Young
Artists Orchestra’s Conservatory Orchestra. The violin part traditionally
performed by one character will be turned into a duet between parent and child,
highlighting this relationship that is emphasized in this show. Leslie has
ADD.
Director Steve
Wilson is passionate about this year's show, "For me, Fiddler on the Roof
is the quintessential statement about the strength of the human spirit. I am
struck by the truly universal appeal of this magnificent classic of the American
musical theatre.
"While the story has a special tie to the rich heritage of the Jewish Diaspora and the dark struggle with Anti-Semitism, it also touches on the collective truth that everyone will ultimately leave the comfort of “home” and venture off into the sometimes forbidding and unpredictable world. These transitions can be particularly challenging for those with disabilities and their loved ones and caretakers.
"The play also has much to say about how humans define home. The story clearly tells us that it is not the place that has defined the people, but the people who have defined the place. Home will travel with them wherever they choose to go – and their strength of spirit and resolve to live a vibrant life are ever present."
"While the story has a special tie to the rich heritage of the Jewish Diaspora and the dark struggle with Anti-Semitism, it also touches on the collective truth that everyone will ultimately leave the comfort of “home” and venture off into the sometimes forbidding and unpredictable world. These transitions can be particularly challenging for those with disabilities and their loved ones and caretakers.
"The play also has much to say about how humans define home. The story clearly tells us that it is not the place that has defined the people, but the people who have defined the place. Home will travel with them wherever they choose to go – and their strength of spirit and resolve to live a vibrant life are ever present."
Wilson concluded by
saying, "I believe great theatre connects us with signature moments in our lives
when we can see how our small journeys connect to our bigger journey. I hope
this PHAMALY Fiddler will encourage everyone to reconnect with their own
experiences of these pivotal life cycle transitions - when children leave,
families relocate, relatives move or pass on – or a significant life altering
health event. These are times of stress, loss and tragedy, but also times of
revelation, strength and renewal."
The Phamaly Theatre
Company's production of “Fiddler on the Roof" previews July
18 and 19 and opens on Saturday, July 20 in the Space Theatre at the
Denver Performing Arts Complex. Performances are Thursday, July 18 and Fridays
and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. on Monday, July
29. Tickets are $30 - $34 adult, $23 groups of 10 or more, and $17 for July 18
and 19 previews as well as the Friday, July 26 and (Industry Night) Monday, July
29 performances.
Post show talk-backs follow the July 21, 29 and August 4 performances. Tickets go on sale Monday, June 3 and can be purchased by calling Denver Center Ticketing at 303-893-4100; online at www.phamaly.org; or at the Denver Center Ticket Office, located at the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. $23 tickets groups of ten or more - call 303-931-7241.
Post show talk-backs follow the July 21, 29 and August 4 performances. Tickets go on sale Monday, June 3 and can be purchased by calling Denver Center Ticketing at 303-893-4100; online at www.phamaly.org; or at the Denver Center Ticket Office, located at the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. $23 tickets groups of ten or more - call 303-931-7241.
An Audio Described
and ASL Signed performance is scheduled for Sunday, July 28 at 2:00 p.m. Phamaly will offer a backstage sensory tour at 11:00a.m. The
sensory tour brings individuals on stage for a tactile experience, touching
elements of the set, costumes, and prop pieces. The tour is free but advance
reservations are required by calling the Phamaly office at
303-575-0005.
Now in its 24th
season, Phamaly is an award-winning Colorado based Theatre Company comprised
entirely of performers with a wide variety of physical, cognitive, and emotional
disabilities. Phamaly’s mission is to inspire people to re-envision disability
through professional theatre.
Named Best
Theatre Company of 2012 by 5280 Magazine
Recipient of
the Alliance for Colorado Theatre’s 2012 Professional/Community Theatre
Award
Recipient of
the 2013 NEA Art Works Grant
More
information at www.phamaly.org
