![Students in the National Art Honor Society work on the Mount Hood mural on the window of SouthLake Church. The students brought a variety of paints and mixed their own custom colors. “Instead of brushstrokes, we’re doing more dabbing, because it gives [a] better impression of tree foliage, rather than looking like actual brush strokes, because if we’re painting trees, we need it to look like trees,” Crawford said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_2397-1200x900.jpg)
![Main Street said farewell to summer on Aug. 30 through the second annual Chalk Walk Art Festival. Ruth Offer, Chalk Walk organizer, brought this tradition from Wyoming in an attempt to make use of the renovated sidewalks of Willamette Falls Dr. “[This is] a community event for the kids,” Offer said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/image-12-1200x803.png)
This year’s fall musical, “Fiddler on the Roof,” follows the idea of tradition and change. The musical is set in a small village in the early 1900s and is an intriguing story about a father torn between tradition and old customs, in a world that is rapidly changing.
Jack Walters, senior, is playing Tevye, a Jewish milkman living in the village. Walters has been doing theater since eighth grade, following in the footsteps of his older siblings.
“My brother was probably the first to really strike out in theater. My eldest sister did theater, and I think both my other sister, along with my eldest sister, did ‘Oklahoma’ back when it was here in 2014,” Walters said. “I really did feel like I found something [in theater] to be passionate for.”
Walters has performed in multiple plays since the eighth grade, but at the high school he has been cast in “Matilda,” “Pippin,” “Cinderella,” and now “Fiddler on the Roof.”
“[Tevye] lives in a small, very traditional Jewish village. He was raised traditionally, so he places a lot of importance on what are considered archaic values,” Walters said. “A lot of what happens in the show is his daughter’s getting married in ways that he does not intend for them to do.”
Miriam Kelly, junior, is another cast member alongside Walters. Kelly found her interest in theater at seven years old, when her dad took her to see “Singin’ in the Rain.”
“I think that it’s really rare that we have the amount of talent that we do. It’s a super great opportunity to come and watch a bunch of people who work really hard, do what they like doing,” Kelly said. “And the story of the play, over and over again, stays relevant in society and is a really important story to tell and learn about.”
The play concentrates on the idea of tradition and identity.
“[Tevye] is stern, but he gives in, not in a way that is his defeat, but rather his admission that he cares about the people close to him more than he does about his ideals,” Walker said. “There is also something admirable in him clinging to his traditions as well. It’s something that guides him through life and when he, more often than not, he will be talking to the heavens. That is when he lets his heart out. That’s when he is probably his funniest. That’s when he’s most joyous, is when he’s basking in those traditions.”
One special aspect of this year’s musical is the set plans. They are creating a set that captures the traditional and modest environment of the show. Along with a detailed set, there will be music performed by the band.
“I think[the show is] going to draw a lot of attention. A lot of people have a special connection to the show, and I’m so excited for people to see it, and for us to put our own spin on a more classic show,” Kelly said.
The musical will have five performances from Nov. 7 to Nov. 15. The play is open to students and families in the community.
