Fiddler on the Roof is a famous musical commonly known for its theme of Jewish tradition, with the plot line exploring Jewish identity, costumes, and relationships. The musical occurs in a Jewish community in pre-revolutionary war Russia with a poor milkman determined to find husbands for his five daughters. This musical requires a large cast of 135 students, from actors to stage crew to musicians.
While starting work on the musical, an issue emerged in the Beeler Auditorium. On December 8th, 2023, Beeler Auditorium caught fire from a chemical fire caused by a wood stain. No one was harmed, and the sprinklers quickly contained the fire, but students began working on the set and props for Fiddler on the Roof. Sadly, fire and water damage had been made throughout Beeler and the connected classroom.
Students then had to relocate temporarily into different music rooms to continue working on the musical. “We were pretty lucky to be only out for about a week, and our wonderful friends in the music department let us borrow the orchestra room,” Lafayette theater teacher Ms. Gorrell said.
Thankfully, winter break was near, and repairs began. These repairs included fixing parts of the backstage area and repainting all of it. Although many repairs could be done, replacements, such as power tools and some of the curtains that sustained water damage from the sprinklers, still need to be made. The theater teachers and administration are currently figuring out the price of replacements. Ms. Gorrell commented, “We have to make a spreadsheet of how much everything costs and how much it will be to replace it.”
A handful of cast members said that the fire and NTI (non-traditional instruction) slowed down the show and made the final days feel more rushed. Some of the cast members took advantage of the empty auditorium, and while they were taking a break, they took naps in any comfortable place. So despite their typical work environment needing to be repaired and stress from having to help clean it up, “Fiddler on the Roof” had six successful showings, with audiences ranging from students to the public.
