FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: Ken Levin
Communications Director
[email protected]
Office: (510) 845-8542 x 381
Cell (Emergency deadline): (415) 378-0012
BERKELEY PLAYHOUSE MAINSTAGE BRINGS TRADITION
TO THE EAST BAY WITH
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
June 25 – August 2, 2015
Book by Joseph Stein ● Music by Jerry Bock ● Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Directed by Jon Tracy ● Choreographed by Matthew McCoy
Musical Direction by Rachel Robinson
Berkeley, CA (May 13, 2015) – Berkeley Playhouse at the historic Julia Morgan Theater
closes its seventh season with Fiddler on the Roof, directed by Jon Tracy (Berkeley
Playhouse: Guys and Dolls, The Pirates of Penzance; Aurora Theatre Company, Shotgun
Theatre Company, Marin Theatre Company, Magic Theatre, NY Fringe, San Francisco
Playhouse) and choreographed by Matthew McCoy (Berkeley Playhouse: Shrek The Musical,
The Music Man; Sixth Street Playhouse, Bay Area Musicals). Fiddler runs from June 25 to
August 2, 2015, with previews on June 25 and June 27. Opening Night is June 27 at the Julia
Morgan Theater, 2640 College Avenue in Berkeley. Tickets are now available through the Box
Office, call (510) 845-8542 x351 or visit berkeleyplayhouse.org.
With a jubilant and masterful score including “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Matchmaker,
Matchmaker,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Tradition,” and “To Life,” Fiddler on the Roof taps into
themes that touch us all: family, tradition and changing social values. It’s the story of Tevye, a
dairyman in a small Russian village who tries to maintain the Jewish religious customs of his
ancestors while his daughters yearn to adapt to modern ways. When dangerous forces threaten
the village’s traditional way of life, Tevye’s faith and love for his family give him strength to fight
for his home and his people. Based on the classic stories of Sholem Aleichem, the musical won
9 Tony Awards and was the first show to surpass 3000 performances on Broadway. It would go
on to hold the record of longest Broadway run for over 10 years.
“I’m fascinated by the concept of tradition. This is a story so rich in its heritage that we can all
find connection. Family, culture, fear, sacrifice.... How do we grow together? How do we grow
apart?” says director Jon Tracy. He continues, “it’s a perfect show for the beauty of the Julia
Morgan Theater where the cast will tell the story of Anatevka.”
Tracy’s creative team includes Musical Direction by Rachel Robinson (Berkeley Playhouse,
Boxcar Theatre, Sonoma Theatre Alliance, Bay Area Children's Theater), Scenic Design by
Catalina Niño (San Francisco Playhouse, Los Altos Stage Company, Custom Made Theatre,
Bus Barn Stage Company), Lighting Design by Drew Kaufman (Berkeley Playhouse, Just
Theater), Costume Design by Liz Martin (Berkeley Playhouse, Tri-Valley Rep, Contra Costa
Musical Theatre, Town Hall Theatre), Sound Design by Taylor Gonzalez (Berkeley Playhouse,
San Francisco Mime Troupe's Youth Theater Project), and Prop Design by Devon LaBelle
(Berkeley Playhouse, Bay Area Children’s Theatre, Impact Theatre, Shotgun Players, and Z
Space).
THE CAST: The cast of 54 will be headed by Michael RJ Campbell (The Pirates of Penzance
[Pirate King], A Funny Thing… Forum [Pseudolous], Ruthless! [Sylvia St. Croix], and Sherlock
Holmes [Dr. Watson] with Sacramento Theatre Co.; The Addams Family [Gomez] with 6th
Street Playhouse; The Full Monty [Dave] with Sonoma Theatre Alliance) as Tevye, Sarah
Mitchell (Mary Poppins [Mrs. Banks], The Music Man, Guys and Dolls, The Wiz, and Seussical
the Musical with Berkeley Playhouse; Twelfth Night, The Farm, Beardo, and The Norman
Conquests with Shotgun Players; The Revolution with Aurora Theatre Company, Abraham
Lincoln's Big Gay Dance Party with SF Playhouse) as Golde, Jeannie Brick (Shotgun Players,
We Players, Playwrights’ Center of SF, Custom Made Theatre Co, and Town Hall Theatre) as
Yente, Berwick Haynes* (Hairspray with Berkeley Playhouse, Marin Theatre Company,
TheatreWorks, Center REPertory, The Goodman, Ravinia Festival, San Francisco Shakespeare
Festival, and LaMama Theatre) as Lazar Wolf, Abby Lee ([Title of Show] [Susan] with Marin
Onstage; Oliver! [Nancy] with Lucky Penny Productions; and Cabaret [Sally Bowels] with the
Sonoma Theatre Alliance) as Tzeidel, Kirk Johnson (Crazy For You [Bela Zangler], A Year
with Frog and Toad [Toad], and Sondheim’s Company [Harry]) as Motel, Jade Shojaee
(Company [April] with Town Hall Theatre; Les Misérables [Eponine] with Contra Costa Musical
Theatre; Crimes of the Heart [Babe] with Hillbarn Theatre) as Hodel, Joel Roster (Assassins
[Leon Czolgosz] with Ray of Light Theatre; A Christmas Carol [Fred Hastings] with CenterREP;
and Someone Who'll Watch Over Me [Edward Sheridan] with Diablo Actors Ensemble) as
Perchik, Grace Ng (Ondine, Faulted, The Seeing Place, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon,
Spring Awakening, and Bay Area One Acts Festival) as Chava, and Luke Meyers (Cyrano De
Bergerac with Pacific Conservatory Theater; Julius Caesar with San Francisco Shakespeare
Festival) as Fydeka. Also in the cast: Pilar Ballesteros, Loren Breidenbach, Mia
Breidenbach, Bennie Brown, Lucy Collins, Grace Connallon, Emma Curtin, Tom Curtin,
Garret Dailey, Audrey Douglass, Sophie Eckber, Maya Ezekiel, Sabrina Fiora, Anna
Granados, Lila Higley, Jude McEntee, Leela Kiyawat, Jacob Kwong, Bonnie Lafer, Tonio
Manqueros, Tina Marzell, Tessa Mochizuki, Benjamin Nguyen, Jeanine PerssoKaczmarczyk, Abby Peterson, Adeleine Praskins, Billy Raphael, Salim Razawi, Marisol
Rojas-Cheatham, Terry Rucker, Ariana Rukin, David Rukin, Leah Schickler, Victoria
Siegel, Jessica Slaght, Shelby Stewart, Lucy Urbano, Rosy Urbano, Madeleine Wack,
Denise Wagner.
ABOUT BERKELEY PLAYHOUSE: Berkeley Playhouse was founded in 2007 by actor,
director, and teacher Elizabeth McKoy. In 2014, McKoy and the Board of Directors hired
Producing Artistic Director Daren A.C. Carollo, who with Managing Director Lauren Hewitt
continues to develop Berkeley Playhouse into a professional musical theatre company providing
people of all ages an artistically sophisticated experience. Additionally, Berkeley Playhouse
School of Musical Theatre after-school and school break programs offer a range of skill and
performance-based classes for ages 3-17. In 2009, Berkeley Playhouse made the 328-seat,
historic Julia Morgan Theater its permanent home.
Previews: Thursday, June 25 at 7pm and Saturday, June 27 at 1pm
Opens: Saturday, June 27 at 6pm
Press: Saturday, June 27 at 6pm; Sunday, June 28 at 12pm and 5pm
Closes: Sunday, August 2 at 5pm
All performances: Fridays at 7pm; Saturdays at 1pm and 6pm; Sundays at 12pm and 5pm at
Berkeley Playhouse at The Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. Berkeley, CA 94704
TICKETS: For tickets, currently on sale, ($17 for previews, $25–$60 for regular performances)
or more information, the public may call (510) 845-8542 x351 or visit berkeleyplayhouse.org.
Group rates available for 10 or more people.
Select “Pay What You Can” nights will be announced where tickets are sold on a sliding scale
from $5-$20
Berkeley Playhouse gratefully acknowledges support from: Beneficial State Bank, Inc., The Alameda
County Arts Commission, City of Berkeley Civic Arts Commission, American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., Peet’s
Coffee and Tea, Extreme Pizza, The Imagination Foundation, and individual donors.
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