brings The 2006 Homecoming musical, "Fiddler on rhe Roof," was a Iinie different t han past produ ctions; inS[ead of having a caS[ made up of only students, the show featured several members of the faculty and their fam ilies in some of its lead and chorus roles. Dottie Frye. instructor ofcommunication who played one of the leads, Golde, said the family-like na[Ure ofthe show was appealing along with the musical's scrip t.and music. "I love the show," Frye said. "It is one of chose rare musicals where the script is as strong as the music. So when I was asked if I would be willing to play Golde, [ jumped at the opportunity." No t only did the script offer faculty a chance to partici pate in the Harding revival of a Tony Award-wi nning show, bur it also gave them the oppof(uniry [Q inrerac( with some of their srudems in a setting outside of the classroom. "Some of the students [in the musical] I have in class, and we go from having class in (he day and then we're on stage that night together," Ross Cochran, professor of Bible, • • ,/ Gathering around the bonfire Oct. 27, swdents show their school spirit at the Bison Bash, which was held the night before the football game.The Bison Bash also featured a car bash, the band SweetAction and a beat-box competition. -Jon Byron liON faculty, families together said. "That's fu n, and it's a great reinfo rcing opportunity. " Cochran said the large cast focused on community and togetherness in rehearsals, which added a couch of realism co their performances. He said the diversity helped in bringing aud iences on a personal level into the fictional (Own ofAnatevka. The famil ies of participating professors were able to have the experience of working with college students as wel l. Wendy Neill, wife of Assistant Professor of Music Kelly Neill, said working with the students was a wonde rful ex-perience for her and her children. "My girls love being around the college students, and I like for them to be around such great role models," Neill said. "The students have been so good at loving on my children." DirkSmith, regional diroccor ofadvancement whose family participated as cast members, said the backstage element was an added bonus to the experience. ''We enjoyed meeting new people, creating a fam ily memory and seeing a true behindthe-scenes look at what it takes to put on a producdon of (his caliber," Smith said. Jun ior Anna Dixo n, di rectOr of props for the show, said the atmosphere for this show was unique because of the dynamics between the college students, the professors and their families. T he environment backstage was also affected by the show's limited number of crew members. Dixon said cast members of all ages we re required to be res ponsible in such matters as making sure they had the ri ght props for each scene. "Everyone really had to work hard and together and pitch in since there was not a big crew," Dixon said. According to Frye, the varied cast helped make working on the musical a worthwhile and rewarding experience. "Working with such a varied cast is a very rich process," Frye said. "We have cast members as young as 3 years old to mid to late fifties or older and everything in between. Such a wealth of experience and talent to blend and meld is exciting." -Brooke Light . '. • ' . ' homecomingLU__
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