Saint Martin’s University collaborates with South Puget Sound Community College and Opera Pacifica on production of “Fiddler on the Roof”

October 31, 2007

The Saint Martin’s University Department of Theatre Arts, in collaboration with the South Puget Sound Community College Theatre Department and Opera Pacifica, will present “Fiddler on the Roof” Nov. 8-18. All performances will be on the main stage in the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts on South Puget Sound Community College’s main campus.

The musical tells the story of Tevye, a man struggling to maintain his family and religious customs in the face of a rapidly changing Tsarist Russia. The universal themes of “Fiddler on the Roof” have brought it worldwide success. The original production won nine Tony Awards in 1965 and became the first Broadway show to surpass 3,000 performances.

Under the guidance of Saint Martin’s University faculty members David Hlavsa, Professor of Theatre, and Darrell Born, Assistant Professor of Music, SMU students will share the stage with performers from throughout the community, including peers from SPSCC and Opera Pacifica.

“This performance is a product of intense teamwork,” according to Born, who is co-director of the production. “It is significant not just for Saint Martin’s students but for the entire community.”

In preparing for the production, SMU students worked with co-director Don Welch from SPSCC, music director Claudia Simpson-Jones from Opera Pacifica and local choreographer Colleen Powers.

“The collaborative process has been an enriching opportunity for SMU students,” Born adds. “The best thing we can do for our young performers is expose them to a wide range of working styles and performance venues. This encourages them to broaden their horizons, make special connections with their community, and develop as artists.”

Performances are Nov. 8-10, 15-17, 8 p.m. and Nov. 11, 18, 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.spscc.ctc.edu/CFA or by calling 360-596-5501. Prices are $15 for general admission; $10 for seniors, state workers, military personnel with ID, and Saint Martin’s University and South Puget Sound faculty and staff; and $5 for students. The Nov. 8 and Nov. 15 shows are “pay what you can” at the door; those two shows have no pre-sale tickets available.

Saint Martin’s University is an independent four-year, Catholic, coeducational university located on a 320-acre wooded campus in Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic Order of Saint Benedict, the University is one of 18 Benedictine colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and the only one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s University prepares students for successful lives through its 21 majors and six graduate programs spanning the liberal arts, business, education and engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes 1,250 students from many ethnic and religious backgrounds to its main campus, and 650 more to its five extension campuses located at Fort Lewis Army Post, McChord Air Force Base, Olympic College, Centralia College and Tacoma Community College.

For additional information:

Darrell Born
Music department director
360.486.4506
dborn@stmartin.edu