The award-winning Thomasville City Schools Drama Program continues a longtime tradition as it prepares to bring the Tony Award-winning musical “Fiddler on the Roof” to the stage as its annual spring musical this week.

The performance is set for 7 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, March 3 and 4, in the historic MacIntyre Park Auditorium on Glenwood Drive. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students, available at the door or in advance by following links on the Scholars Academy website at www.sa.tcitys.org.

A cast and crew of more than 65 city schools students, with a handful of adults in supporting roles, began preparing for the production months ago, and a recent flurry of rehearsals, set-building, costuming and technical planning is putting on the finishing touches to bring to life the story of Jewish milkman Tevye and his family’s challenges in Imperial Russia in 1905.

With music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein, the musical follows Tevye as he struggles to uphold his traditional Jewish heritage and religious teachings while raising three strong-willed older daughters, along with his wife, Golde, in a poor village.

Turner Conger takes on the role of Tevye, while Ashlyn Donalson portrays Golde, with Laramie Stokes, Katelyn Newman and Brantley Taylor as the older daughters who rebel against their father’s traditions to marry for love. Amy Ariail appears in the title role of Fiddler.

Other featured student roles include Sydney Jones as the matchmaker; Hogan Watson, Motel; Colin Connery, Perchik; Aidan Lee, Lazar Wolf; Xavier Graves, Mendel; Brady Nichols, Avram; Julia Sharp, Shprintze; Adalee King, Bielke; Blease Conklin, Sasha; Evan Ariail, Constable; Kelon Vaughan, Fyedka; Hunter Wade, Beggar; and Janice Dong, Shaindel.

Casey Dyksterhouse directs the production.

As an added learning opportunity for her students, Dyksterhouse recently brought Bob Canter to meet with her young cast and answer their questions. Canter, a teacher and educator at Temple Israel of Tallahassee, explained the traditions and culture of the Jewish people, factors that influenced the development of the original musical and helped the student actors understand and portray their respective characters.

Since its 1964 Broadway opening, “Fiddler on the Roof” has been an enduring and popular piece of theatre, winning nine Tony Awards and holding the record for the longest running Broadway musical for almost ten years. A successful film adaptation followed in 1971, along with five Broadway revivals, and it remains a popular choice for regional, community and educational theatre groups today.