This painting, the inspiration for the title of the musical, Fiddler on the Roof, is also the inspiration for the "Dream Scene" in our production. Get your tickets now and enjoy an afternoon of magical theater in the woods.

The following is excerpted from a "Truth in Art" column by W. Scott Lamb entitled The Green Violinist by Marc Chagall:

“A fiddler on the roof. It sounds crazy, no?” asks the poor Jewish milkman. “In our little village of Anatevka you might say every one of us is a fiddler on a roof. Trying to scratch out a pleasant simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn’t easy. You may ask why do we stay up here if it is so dangerous? We stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance. That I can tell you in one word. Tradition!” (from the opening of Fiddler on the Roof)

Fiddler on the Roof is loosely based on a novel called "Tevye, the Milkman," written by Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem and published in 1894. At the time of its publication and in roughly the same area of the world, another Jewish Russian was experiencing life in similar fashion to the fictional characters of Anatevka. The boy’s name was Moishe Shagal, but the world knows him best as Marc Chagall, one of the best-known painters of the 20^th century.

Even though Chagall moved away from his hometown of Vitebsk, the town remained a part of his memory and is reflected in The Green Violinist – a merry celebration of the tension between change and continuity of our lives. Chagall painted this in 1923-1924, thirty years after Aleichem’s novel and forty years before the Broadway production of Fiddler (which took Chagall’s painting as inspiration for the title of the musical).

The painting itself is enjoyable. Set against a bland backdrop of grey, brown, and black, a geometrically-inspired man in vibrant secondary colors (purple, orange, and green) plays a violin while standing on top of two houses. And check out that purple coat with triangle patterns! The painting is intended to make us reflect on the transitory and changing nature of the world in which we live. How should we respond to change and how should we relate to the past?

Imagine the historical changes that took place in Chagall’s hometown of Vitebsk. When Chagall was born, the town was under Tsarist rule. The Communist revolution brought political change and much turmoil. The Nazis took over the town for over three years, during which time 150,000 Jews died. Then, the Soviet Union took over the area and ruled until 1991.  

How does one move forward into the future while not losing the essential character of who they are? In Jewish villages, the fiddler would come out and play at births, weddings, deaths – all transforming events that cause us to reflect on the past, present, and future.

Regarding tradition, Fiddler’s Tevye says, “You may ask, ‘How did this tradition get started?’ I’ll tell you!  I don’t know. But it’s a tradition... and because of our traditions... Every one of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do.”

There is real tension between the forces that pull us forward and those that keep us in the past. Chagall’s fiddler is a modern Moses, commanding the people to remember the past even as they experience the change of the present and the promise of the future. The fiddler stands for joyful tradition, even while playing out to people leaving the village (horse and cart at top left) and finding freedom elsewhere (man floating off the page at top). The drumbeat of change will not stay outside of this man’s town, and yet the dog reminds us of fidelity to some part of the past. The ladder is at once both bound and free, one end on the ground and the other in the air. The tree itself is barren, but the bird in the branch reminds us of Chagall’s use of birds as a symbol of freedom.

And the fiddler himself is standing on and above the bedrock institutions of his village – home and synagogue. He is larger-than-life and yet his feet are still connected to things of the earth. This fiddler, central to “the tradition” of the village is also alive and well even in the midst of the fast-paced changes all around him. And the purple speaks of stable passion, emotional exuberance under control of the mind. Excited about the future even while retaining memory of the past.

Perhaps Chagall is saying that it is up to individuals to live larger than life by finding color and joy in remembrance of the past, even as the call of the future beckons.

What do you see in this painting? Leave a comment and tell us.

We are excited to announce the cast for our spring show, Fiddler on the Roof. We have 51 cast members, including 23 returning Players and 28 brand new Players. We have 11 families involved (parents and youth), five who are new to the Players, and six who are returning. Our talented cast ranges in age from Kindergarten to over 70 years old. Here is a list of some of the roles:

We also welcome returning Players: Marion Allred; Kim & David Gordon; Danette, Shawn & Jessica Lam; Callie Maxson; Thea & Debora Reinert; Nicole & Katelyn Cooper; Katie Dreessen, Rosanna Hughes, Brian Lindvall & David Jensen. New Players to round out our cast are: Eliana & Jasmine Harrick (see parents above); Maya, Layla & Joe Markovich (Eliana, Jasmine, Maya and Laya will be sharing the younger daughter roles); Joan, Alfonso & Luciana Barrera; Julie, Stewart, Emma & Jules Shusterman; Shayla & Purcelle Harris; Erica McAdams-Roth and Angela Morgan.

We start rehearsals on Monday evening, March 12th, and Craig (director), Amy Beth (music director) and Guy (choreographer) are looking forward to an awesome rehearsal process. We can assure you with this talented cast and crew that this will be an excellent show – you will want to get your tickets early.

We thank all who auditioned! 

Guest Blog post from Jerry Dreessen:

Kitsap Forest Theater has been a great way to spend time with my family. I can't think of any other place in the Northwest where a dad, mom and kids can spend time camping out in the woods, meeting other interesting people AND performing on stage together. 

Both my wife and I had theater experience before we met, and after we got married it only seemed natural to introduce our kids (we have 3 of them) into theater. When our oldest son landed KFT's role of “Beast” in Beauty and the Beast, he shared his experiences with us and suggested we give it a try. With our daughter in elementary school, it seemed like a great chance to go through the experience and the four of us were together on the set of The Sound of Music.  

We have been in a few other shows since then too, and the experience is always the same; great people, great hiking (and great food), and a chance to “live outdoors” for a few weekends - along with building memories with the rest of the cast, as well as my wife, sons and daughter. 

You’ll need to experience what a truly unique opportunity this is first hand. I personally invite you to audition as a family for one of the Kitsap Forest Theater shows. You'll build a unique bonding experience with your family, as well as fond memories to share over a lifetime.

The effervescent Sylvie Baldwin, a high school senior at The Northwest School, has taken on the lead role of Laurey for our production of Oklahoma! We asked her to reflect on working at Kitsap Forest Theater, her take on her character and the play as a whole, and her experience working with the rest of the cast and crew. Here is her response:

Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting into when I agreed to Oklahoma! When the Kitsap Forest Theater advertises that you will rehearse in the rain and mud, they mean it. What they don't explain is that you will be having such a fantastic and magical time that you will never want to work in an indoor theater again. Rehearsing and performing in an outdoor space has changed the way I view my work as an actor. Come to Kitsap and you will see that the space itself is alive and it supports the very essence of every production. This should be the value of every set for every actor, however it is hard to remember that when working in indoor, artificially constructed spaces.

Beyond the physical differences between Kitsap and other theaters, is the manner in which your cast becomes a family. Living together on the property during rehearsal and performance weekends, you build relationships impossible in traditional rehearsal settings. 

Oklahoma, from Laurey's perspective, is a story about self realization. A young spitfire, whose days of hard work on the prairie have made her independent and adventurous, she is grappling with surrendering herself to love. The vulnerability of exposing one's true feelings is difficult for anyone, but particularly Laurey, who, as a teenager, is still trying to sort out who she is and where she is headed in her life.

In this production of Oklahoma, unlike many other versions, Laurey understands that aside from some of his disquieting mannerisms and anger control problems, Jud (her family's farm hand) is the most logical choice of future spouse. He already knows how to run the family farm, he is open with his feelings of love towards her, and unlike Curly (the man who she truly loves and who is gone for long stretches of time on cattle drives), he is around all the time. In the end her feelings for Curly will prevail, but as an actor this presents a huge obstacle and exponentially increases the emotional energy required for the show. This said, it does make the role that much more fun.

I imagine that every morning Laurey would take a carefree jog through the corn fields, so to ground myself before each performance I like to go for a run. The combination of running and listening to some good old-timey fiddle music...I don't know what it is, but it transports me right to where Laurey is at the start of the show. 

The Oklahoma cast and crew is astounding. Everyone involved with the production is so talented. Honestly, they intimidate the living daylights out of me. In a good way though, they push me to take artistic risks, and surpass the expectations I have of myself. Jenny, our director, could single-handedly move mountains with her chutzpah, creativity, and compassion. Cooper, who is playing Curly, has the most amazing honest instincts on stage. It would take me hours of script analysis and preparation to produce what just seems to flow out of him. Megan, a.k.a. Ado Annie, has not only a dynamite voice, but also the most delightful sense of humor which lights up the stage. I could go on and on...and it's all true. I don't think I have ever worked with a more diverse and inspiring group of artists.

There are four performances left of Oklahoma!, June 11, 12, 18, 19 at 2pm, so don’t miss it!