BY ROD HANSEN

The stage at Weare Town Hall will transform into a century-old Russian village as local middle school students bring a musical classic to life.

“Fiddler on the Roof, Jr.,” as presented by Weare Middle School’s Weare Broadway Players, offers audiences a chance to see firsthand a musical that has enthralled audiences for half a century.

“‘Fiddler on the Roof’ is a theater classic,” said Weare Middle School music teacher Deb Albert, who is directing the production. “It has great songs, a great story and a message that teaches tolerance. It’s as good for adults as it is for children.”

Enthusiasm ran high during one recent rehearsal, less than a week before opening date. About two dozen students streamed between the front- and backstage area at Weare Town Hall, taking spirited dance steps, pantomiming scenes and performing group movements in close choreography.

They perform some of these sequences on their own, while at other times they’re led by play choreographer and Weare Middle School Assistant Principal Jess Potter.

“The students are excited to do this, and they’ve done well in learning their parts,” Potter said.

As Potter speaks, controlled jubilation echoes through the rehearsal space while some students practice dance routines, others recite dialogue and still others strike poses to convey their characters’ emotions.

When the buzz gets too loud, Albert claps her hands in a rhythmic series to quiet the students down. By the end of the clapping, a hush has fallen over the room. It’s a key maneuver in keeping the production under control.

“We sometimes have to clap to make (the performers) silent, and they respond well to that,” said Bailey Quinn, a John Stark Regional High School senior who is participating in the production as part of her senior project.

Quinn’s contribution to the production involves guiding the actors’ “blocking,” or onstage movements, in the production.

To verse herself in this aspect of stagecraft, Quinn said she read some theatrical books and consulted with Albert and John Stark theater teacher Jennifer Matzke.

“A lot of times, I just make sure the actors aren’t standing in front of each other,” Quinn said.

Along with acting, students are also involved in behind-the-scenes aspects of the production, Albert said.

Sometimes, the young actors even contribute to the actions that occur onstage, Quinn said.

“The kids have been coming up with ideas,” Quinn said. “If I can’t think of anything, they’ll make a few suggestions.”

“Fiddler on the Roof, Jr.” tells the story of a Russian patriarch’s attempts to maintain traditions in a changing world. The production is geared especially for middle and elementary school performers, and runs about an hour and 20 minutes, Albert said.

The production is set to run Friday and Saturday, Feb. 16 and 17, at Weare Town Hall, beginning at 7 p.m. both nights. Tickets are $5 for the public and $3 for students and senior citizens.