If you missed out on seeing the Drama Club’s performance of Fiddler of the Roof Jr. this past January, you surely missed some of Carbondale Area’s most talented students putting on the show of their lives. The show is set in the little Jewish village of Anatevka, Russia, and centers on Tevye, a poor dairyman, (played by Randy Rabb), his wife Golde, (played by Mary Miles) and his five daughters (played by Alex Shockey, Natalie Skeba, Eliana Connolly, Liliana Cerra, and Madison Hunter). With the help of a colorful and tight-knit community, Tevye tries to instill a sense of tradition in his daughters in the face of growing antisemitism under the Russian Czar. When his eldest daughters try to break the tradition of marriages arranged by the Matchmaker (played by Emma Vinolo) and choose their own husbands (played by Guarionex Curiel, Nathanial Cruz, and Dylan Ofner), Tevye must ask himself what is more important: their tradition, or his daughters’ happiness. The show captures the essential human longings for tradition, love, community, success, freedom, and family. “Fiddler on the Roof” features iconic songs such as the beautiful, “Sunrise, Sunset,” the boisterous, “If I Were a Rich Man,” and the classic, “Matchmaker.” The cast did an incredible job keeping the attention of the audience from start to finish. There was never a dull moment in the theater. The Drama Club deserves a standing ovation for this performance, and we cannot wait to see what’s up next!
Additionally, costumer Noreen Ofner created and donated a customized teddy bear dressed in the clothing of the main character, Tevye. The bear was raffled off at the show as a fundraiser for the drama club. Part of the proceeds will go to the International Rescue Committee, which is providing shelter, first aid, food and medicine in Ukraine. This initiative enabled CA drama students to recognize the positive impact that they can have not only on their community, but in the world at large.
Congratulations to Mrs. Nicole Rasmus, advisor, and the entire CA Drama Club on a job well done!
See photo gallery below for some pictures!