'Fiddler' blows the roof off at SHS

"Fiddler on the Roof," the first dramatic musical at Sisters High School in nearly two decades, was a smashing success during its four-day run last week under the direction of choir director Michelle Summers.

Playing to strong audiences each night as well as Saturday's matinee, the cast of performers set the bar high for future musicals and established the expectation for SHS to produce a musical every year, according to Summers.

"People in town and at the school have wanted this to happen for a long time and it is clear that we have stirred up interest and excitement for musicals in the future," she said.

More than 800 people saw the play. The path to the performance was rife with obstacles, including the fact that much of the cast came directly from the chorale department and had little experience in acting.

"Early on, there were concerns that our singers might have trouble adapting to being actors as well as singers," said Summers. "All those fears were washed away on opening night as our two leads, Austin Erlandson and Hayley Valoppi, who had no acting experience, stole the show."

Erlandson felt particularly satisfied by the response of the audience, which made all the hard work worth it.

"I think the greatest thing was having a good audience," he said. "Getting to make people laugh and applaud really fuels all the actors on stage. We worked really hard and the audience made it all worth it."

Summers feels grateful that she was given a musical theatre class during the school day to help students prepare for the play.

"Having the class every day gave us a lot of time that otherwise would have had to be outside the school day, which makes it hard for students involved in other activities," she said. "However, even with the class we had many evening and Sunday rehearsals to get ready."

High school principal Bob Macauley played a key role in giving Summers what she needed to succeed.

"When I approached him last spring with my request of producing the first musical in our school in almost 20 years, he openly and graciously supported and encouraged me," she said.

Key roles in the play included Erlandson (Tevye), Valoppi (Golde), Adam Cash (Lazar Wolf and Perchik), Julia Rahm (Hodel), Elle Meyer (Chava), Claire Kanzig (Tzeitel), Grayson Gould (Motel) and Felicia Zandonatti (Yente the matchmaker).

"I am so proud of my kids," Summers said. "They truly rose to the occasion in spite of many roadblocks and busy personal lives. Our success is a great celebration of their desire to be the best they could be. What a magical experience!"

The play was definitely a team effort, according to Summers.

"I could not have done this without the constant support and love of my husband, Bryan Summers. He came to my rescue and helped me complete this production with the type of professionalism that is required for such an event as this," she said. "His theatre background helped bridge the gap between drama and music. Since he is retired from the U.S. Air Force, I plan to exploit his talents again in the future!"

Summers, who began teaching in Sisters last year, has now fully experienced the support of the Sisters community first-hand.

"Without the community's support we are nothing," she said. "I am so humbled by the people of Sisters. Their encouragement and praise of our efforts tells me that the Sisters High School Choral Department has a strong and now established future in musical theatre."

Other key contributors included Susanna Harrision (choreography), Randy King (backstage), Darlene Nash (violinist) and sophomore Jared Schneider (lights and sound). Melissa Ward at Sisters Bakery donated an endless supply of donuts for the cast, and Tony Meyer of XPress Printing supplied all the materials and printing for the programs and flyers.

As to the future of musicals at Sisters High School, Summers is committed to building on the momentum of "Fiddler on the Roof."

"I promise to continue this new tradition every year. The kids are already putting in their requests for next year's musical, so stay tuned," she said.