The cast of “Fiddler on the Roof” rehearses at the Encore Theatre.
Courtesy of the Encore Theatre
LIMA —The Encore Theatre is continuing a strong run this season with its own production of a beloved classic.
Director Randy Bargerstock said that, even though it is his first time directing a show at Encore, he is excited to take on a relevant and award-winning musical such as “Fiddler on the Roof” this weekend.
“It’s kind of my debut experience here although I have considerable years directing theater and shows in other venues like high schools around the country,” he said. “But it’s really exciting working with the local acting community here. And I feel like there is some incredible talent here.”
Bargerstock said that he gets joy out of seeing the potential in people and helping them bring it out in production.
“Believability is a word I use a lot in my work so I want my actors to be believable more than anything,” he said. “Singing and dancing is all part of that, but essentially, when you’re storytelling, the story has to resonate with the audience and it has to be believable. That’s our goal and that’s what we’re working toward. We’re not there yet, but we’re getting close.”
And even for people who have never seen ‘Fiddler,’ the story of a Jewish family living in the Russian Empire in the early 20th century and struggling to keep their faith while adapting to changing and potentially hostile times might ring relevant in more ways than one.
“There is a lot of joy and humor and dancing and singing,” Bargerstock said. “It’s colorful and yet it’s set in a very rustic and earthy place. In the midst of that, though, we celebrate the joy of humanity in the midst of everything that we experience.”
Bargerstock said that he thinks the audience will come away with a sense of hope and joy, but that he is looking forward to celebrating the diversity of the cast and passing on a love of theater to all generations.
“We have children as young as 8 and we have cast members in their 60s,” he said. “It’s a joy to work with a cross-generational cast and to see not only on stage the story, but also how the cast relates backstage. It’s about people being together and doing what they love to do and I have a theory that theater people oftentimes don’t feel their personal stories are significant enough to tell and so they enter into something bigger than themselves and there is a particular joy in that.”
Maybe more importantly, though, Bargerstock said that he felt proud to direct a show that may speak to modern-day anti-semitism and themes surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, even if he did not set out to make any sort of political statement.
“I just think storytelling always has the power to remind us that every 200 years we cycle around again, but we need to remember who we are and what we’ve done and that we’re all humans,” he said. “That was a pretty powerful motive for me to direct it in particular.”
And Bargerstock said he hopes the audience is able to take away some meaning for their own lives, as well.
“I would hope that they would wrestle with the things that are going on in their own life that cause tension between what they thought was true and what they’re being told is true, and in the end what love tells them is true and to do the thing that love calls them to do,” he said. “I think that’s Tevye, the main character’s dilemma. I hope also they just go away enjoying the entertainment of this great, wonderful, culturally fed story.”
‘Fiddler’ will premiere at 8 p.m. Aug. 4 at the Encore Theatre in Lima, and run through the weekend with a matinee starting at 2 p.m. Sunday. It will also run at the same times from Aug. 11 through 13.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Encore Theatre website.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
