A Naperville musical theater educator is leading by example as she prepares to tread the boards in a new production of “Fiddler on the Roof” at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace.
By day Mitzi Smith is an assistant professor of theatre at North Central College but for the next two months she’ll also be part of the ensemble for what promises to be a new take on the beloved musical being staged Jan. 24 to March 24.
Smith moved to Naperville from California in 2019. Since then, she’s been concentrating on teaching while raising two daughters. But when she learned Drury Lane was planning to stage the show, she decided it was time to get back performing.
“I had seen the Drury Lane season advertised a year ago and knew they would be doing ‘Fiddler.’ I worked with a voice teacher and some career consultants. I got new headshots. I wanted to see where I would fit,” said Smith, who has previously worked as a casting director herself in New York.
It turned out Smith’s best fit was in the ensemble and as an understudy for Yenta and Grandma.
“I knew I had aged out of playing one of Tevye’s daughters. Being in the ensemble is a gift in any show,” she said. “Being in the show is the gift, not the part. I felt I could be effective as an understudy.”
Smith says she’s very fortunate to be able to demonstrate her skills to her students.
“A friend told some of my former students I got the part,” she said. “I am still making art. I don’t feel done making art. It will make me a better educator. I’m so grateful not to be in charge, I just have to bring myself.”
Smith is not only showing her students how to perform in musical theater, but how to get a role.
You demonstrate what they are learning, but something on this scale is so great, it’s very exciting.
“It can be very challenging being a working mom. My husband and girls are so excited. Now the girls are older they understand. Being a part of this company has made me hungrier. It inspires me. You find yourself in spaces you belong, it’s an incredible community here in Chicago.”
For director Elizabeth Margolius, this production of “Fiddler” came at a pivotal time. As she was researching the story set against a background of Jewish oppression in early 20th century Russia, Israeli citizens were taken hostage by Hamas terrorists.
“After Oct. 7, I was asked if this changed my approach,” she told me. “It really didn’t, and if anything made me more aware and more careful and clearer how I wanted to tell the story.
“‘Fiddler’ is a favorite no matter who you are. One of the reasons it is so enduring is it’s about a specific time in history. It’s so universal. The piece itself is so relevant to today and yesterday.”
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Audiences will see a different take on the story of a milkman with five daughters whose lives are as shaky as a fiddler on the roof. Margolius’ directorial style is minimalist, with the story stripped back to its bare bones, she said.
“For preparation I dug into the stories by Shalom Aleichem, which ‘Fiddler’ is based on,” Margolius said. “It’s been a piece of me since I was child, but I didn’t know it was based on these stories. Tevye recounts them as memories and that spoke to me. I approached it as a memory play. You start to realize you don’t remember all the pieces. It’s stripped of the traditional props, which feels more realistic.”
Margolius said casting followed an extensive search in New York as well as Chicago.
“We tried to employ Jewish people because it’s primarily a Jewish cast, although some of the characters aren’t Jewish. I was open and wanted strong Jewish representation especially for the primary family,” she said.
Smith is enjoying the process and says she’s found rehearsals very meaningful.
“As an actor without props, I can focus on the story too, and the people I share the stage with and the space. It frees you of distractions,” she said. “I have done shows with a million things and those logistics take over. This story is enough. It’s a very cool opportunity to experience that as a performer.”
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007.