Arizona Theatre Company Brings Beloved FIDDLER ON THE ROOF To Life

The beloved musical Fiddler on the Roof, called "one of the greatest musicals in history" by the New York Daily News and "Indestructible" by The New Yorker magazine, brings a richly vibrant close to 2016 and a celebratory opening to 2017 in Arizona Theatre Company's epic production as part of ATC's 50th anniversary season.

Directed by ATC Artistic Director David Ira Goldstein, the Arizona Theatre Company production plays Dec. 3-31 at the Temple of Music and Art, 333 S. Scott Ave. in Tucson and Jan. 6-29 at the Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe in Phoenix. The 2016-17 season is sponsored by I. Michael and Beth Kasser. Shirley Estes is the Production Sponsor in Tucson. Phoenix Production Sponsors are Joanie Flatt & Michael Flatt and The Shapiro Family Philanthropic Foundation.

Featuring a cast of 28, ATC's first-ever production of Fiddler is the largest production the company has produced in over 30 years. The musical features a host of classics including "To Life," "If I Were a Rich Man," "Sunrise, Sunset" and "Matchmaker, Matchmaker." The original Broadway production opened in September 1964 and ran for a then-record 3,232 performances. It has been subsequently continuously produced in nearly every country in the world, bringing its timeless mix of rich drama, delightful wit and timeless themes of faith to tens of millions. The original production won nine of its ten Tony Awards nominations. Subsequent revivals in 1981, 1991, 2004 and 2015 also earned Tony, Drama Desk and Olivier Award nominations.

When Fiddler on the Roof opened on Broadway in 1964, it was instantly embraced. Fiddler became the first Broadway show to run for more than 3,000 performances, spawning hundreds of productions all over the world in dozens of languages. The imaginary Little Village of Anatevka became more famous than many actual towns, and the character of Tevye became as beloved and iconic as any character in literature.

Based on a series of stories by the great Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem, Fiddler On The Roof is set in the world of the Jewish Pale of Settlement in pre-Revolutionary Tsarist Russia in 1905. Fiddler on the Roof is a richly heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives and the timeless traditions that define faith and family. It tells the deeply human story of Tevye, the milkman, Golde, his wife, and his five daughters as they wrestle with faith, love, prejudice and Diaspora, all while holding firmly to their religious and social traditions.

"Fiddler couldn't be more specifically steeped in the details of a very particular place and time and religion and culture," said Artistic Director David Ira Goldstein. "Yet the story of Tevye and his daughters has achieved a universality that seemingly transcends every geographic and cultural barrier. The themes at the heart of Fiddler on the Roof are universal and deeply rooted in all our cultures. Tradition, family, and faith are under siege in Tevye and Golde's home - just as they were in the turbulent 1960s when Fiddler premiered - and just as they most surely are today in a polarized environment quickly adjusting to enormous global change."

Ticket prices are $30-$80 and are available in-person in Tucson at the Temple of Music and Art box office or by calling (520) 622-2823. Tickets are available in-person in Phoenix at the Herberger Theater Center, or by calling (602) 256-6995 or online for performances in both cities at www.arizonatheatre.org.

For more information call (520) 622-2823 in Tucson, (602) 256-6995 in Phoenix or visit www.arizonatheatre.org.

The Company of Fiddler On The Roof includes:

Eric Polani Jensen (Tevye), who is making his ATC debut. Regional credits include: Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof (Village Theatre); The Music Man, A Christmas Story, Candide (5th Avenue Theatre); The Shaughraun (Seattle Rep); and Red Noses(ACT). R

Anne Allgood (Golde) appeared previously at ATC in Other Desert Cities. Broadway: The Most Happy Fella, Carousel, The Sound of Music, Imaginary Friends, Beauty and the Beast, numerous concerts for ENCORES at City Center. National Tours: South Pacific, Evita, Beauty and the Beast, Floyd Collins, Urinetown. Regional: credits coast-to-coast (Goodman Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Goodspeed Musicals, Old Globe, Geva Theatre Center, La Jolla Playhouse, and many others). She's starred at every major theatre in Seattle: over a dozen productions, among them The Price, Old Times, The Women, and the title role in Mary Stuart (ACT Theatre); Candide, Company, The Sound of Music,and many more (5th Avenue Theatre); Bad Dates, You Can't Take It with You, others (Seattle Repertory Theatre); Angels in America, Cymbeline (Intiman Theatre); Village Theatre, Seattle Children's Theatre, Showtunes Theatre Company.

Tevye's daughters are played by Jennifer Wingerter (Tzeitel), Taylor Pearlstein (Hodel), Krista Curry (Chave), Janine Colletti (Shprintze) and Kate Godfrey (Bielke). Their suitors are played by Kenny Metzger (Motel), Patrick Shelton (Perchik) and Kevin Milnes (Fyedka).

Other members of the cast include Armen Dirtadian (Lazar Wolf), Kate Jaeger (Yente), Mike Lawler (The Rabbi), Sally Jo Bannow (Shaindel), Jason Collins (The Fiddler), James Zanelli (Avram), Eric Gratton (Mordcha), Cobey Mandarino (Constable/Nahum), Danny Lacker (Mendel), Sarah Wolter (Fruma Sarah), Eric Lee Brotherson (Yussel), Richard Peacock (Yakov), Josh Dunn (Sasha), Shira Elena Maas (Rivka) and Robertson Witmer (Accordion).

CREATIVE TEAM

Director: David Ira Goldstein

Choreographer: Kathryn Van meter

Music Director/Conductor: Michael Koerner

Scenic Design: Bill Forrester

Lighting Design: Michael Gilliam

Costume Design: Cynthia Savage

Sound Design: Abe Jacob

Associate Choreographer: Adam Somers

Casting Associate: Matthew Wiener

Production Stage Manager: Peter Van Dyke

Tickets for Fiddler on the Roof start at $25 and are subject to change depending on time, date and section, and are available atwww.arizonatheatre.org or by calling the box office at (520) 622-2823 in Tucson or (602) 256-6995 in Phoenix. Discounts are available for seniors and active military. A $10 student ticket pricing is now available for all performances. Half-price rush tickets are available for balcony seating for all performances one hour prior to curtain at the ATC box office (subject to availability). Pay What You Can performance is Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Tucson and Sunday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. in Phoenix. Tickets are available for a suggested $10 donation. (Tickets must be purchased at the Temple of Music and Art or Herberger Theater Center starting one hour prior to curtain. Tickets are first-come, first served. Cash only. Two tickets maximum per person.) For discounts for groups of 10 or more, call (520) 622-2823 in Tucson or (602) 256-6995 in Phoenix.

Arizona Theatre Company offers accessibility services for patrons with disabilities for select performances. Audio Descriptionprovides patrons with vision loss a running audio description of the movement and activities onstage through an infrared broadcast system. An Audio-Described performance is offered in Tucson on Thursday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. and in Phoenix on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 2 p.m. and Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Interested patrons with vision loss may request a tactile tour one hour prior to curtain. American Sign Language Interpretation is presented by professional, theatrically-trained ASL-interpreters for people who have deafness or hearing impairment. An ASL-interpreted performance is offered in Tucson on Thursday, Dec. 22 at 7:30 p.m. and in Phoenix on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 4 p.m. Open captioning allows patrons to read the play's dialogue on an LED screen as the play progresses. An open captioned performance is offered in Tucson on Thursday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. and in Phoenix on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. For open-captioned or ASL-interpreted performances, patrons should request seats best suited to ASL interpretation or captioning when purchasing tickets. Large print and Braille playbills and infrared listening amplification devices are also available at every ATC performance with reservation. TTY access for the box office is available in Tucson at (520) 884-9723 or via Arizona Relay at (800) 367-8939 (TTY/ASCII).

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