Hello friends!
Seventeen sold-out shows. Standing ovations. Reviews that made us blush.
Our Fiddler on the Roof run at the Packard Playhouse wrapped last month, and I'm still catching my breath.
Here's what struck me most: watching my brother, Alex. step into Tevye's boots night after night, wrestling with tradition versus change on that Columbia, TN stage. The same questions Tevye asks—how do we hold onto what matters while the world shifts beneath us?—are the ones we're all asking.
Mark Harris, our dear friend and veteran actor, brought his own gravitas to the role on alternating nights. Two different Tevyes, same timeless story. Same packed houses.
But it wasn't just the leads. Adena and Ethan, two of our Conservatory students who played Tzeitel and Motel, proved again why we do what we do. Excellence married to purpose. Beauty that points beyond itself.
And they weren't the only ones. One of our newest students, Addison, shone in the role of Hodel while the emotional part of Chava featured the tremendous talents of sisters, Ava and Lucy. I even got to perform as the eponymous Fiddler! Packard Playhouse was buzzing. Theater lovers from 13 states showed up. Our students rose to meet the moment.
This is what happens when you plant seeds in good soil and tend them with care. Our mission—populating the arts with Biblical truth and extraordinary excellence—isn't just words on a wall. It's Tevye's daughters learning to dance. It's a packed theater on a Tuesday night. It's young artists discovering they have something vital to say.
The curtain's down, but the work continues.
More soon,
Annie
P.S. We're already dreaming about what's next for the Packard stage. Stay tuned!
Keep the stage lights on
Productions like Fiddler don't happen without partners who believe in what we're building. Your support makes it possible for students like Adena and Ethan to grow into the artists God designed them to be.