To Life and Legacy
Fiddler on the Roof, hand-painted in the style of Marc Chagall.
Grove City College’s production of Fiddler on the Roof captured the heart and vibrance of the classic story. Sets, costumes, lighting, and projections came together to craft a style rooted in, of course, tradition.
Fiddler on the Roof is closely tied to the work of Russian-Jewish artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985). His paintings inspired the name of the show and are frequently featured or alluded to in connection with it. To incorporate that history into the look of the show, the director requested that the projections be painted in the style of Marc Chagall—a challenge for a fledgling projection artist on her very first production.
The Artistic Challenge
Understanding Marc Chagall
Mimicking Chagall’s style presented several challenges. Like all artists, his style evolved throughout his lifetime, often developing from one painting to the next. His abstractions and fantastical compositions were not always well-suited to creating a sense of place for the audience and actors. Examples of this emerge in his handling of skies, particularly sunsets, and foliage. How does one paint a backdrop for Sunrise, Sunset in the style of Chagall when his sunsets varied widely between muddy and harsh? How does one paint “Chagall-like” trees when his trees looked different in each painting?
The Solution
To overcome stylistic obstacles, the projection artist mimicked significant elements from Chagall (mainly color, texture, and tone) and combined them with inspiration from Chagall’s contemporaries. Various impressionists and post-impressionists informed a final product that met the director’s expectations while maintaining a look distinct to that time.
Seen on right: early test painting (Chagall on left, Paulding on right)
Tevye's House - Trees inspired by both Chagall and Van Gogh
Tevye's House at Night
Sunrise, Sunset - The most challenging painting due to the harsh and monochromatic nature of most Chagall skies
The Dream - Strange, disorienting, and vivid
The Train Station - Somber and bittersweet, yet hopeful for a better future for Hodel and Perchik
Anatevka During the Day - Trees rendered differently from Tevye's House to nod to Chagall's varied styles among his own works
Anatevka at Night
Fiddler Moon - The basis for all promotional material
Design Spotlight
The Dream Sequence
The madness of Tevye’s dream allowed me to lean heavily into the most fantastic aspects of Chagall. The rendering is full of movement, life, and small details. The fish in the sky allude to the fish Chagall often incorporated in his works as a tribute to his fisherman father. The cow connects to Tevye’s job as a milkman and the graves to the arrival in the scene of the deceased relatives. The bouquet points to the wedding and happy future Tevye hopes to obtain for his daughter.
Through animated elements and added effects created in QLab, the sequence was further elevated to a disorienting and unforgettable moment.
Fiddler on the Roof - Grove City College Theater Production, Fall 2024
Director: Betsy Craig
Production Director: Jonathan Bucci
Scenic Designer: Dan Wolfe
Choreographer: Kevin Garvey
Stage Manager: Grace Scheller
Lighting Designer: Clancey Herring
Sound Designer: Faith Wilbur
Lead Projection Designer: Jonathan Bucci
Projection Digital Painter: Greta Paulding
Graphic Design/PR: Greta Paulding