By Jim Bloch
Mark Eberhard, who spent what seemed to be a lifetime directing plays at St. Clair High School, is taking a stab at regional theatre.
He is directing Fiddler on the Roof at the Boardwalk Theatre in downtown St. Clair, Aug. 17-Sept. 22.
“After 38 years in the biology classroom at SCHS and 28 years as the director of the SCHS Theatre Troupe, I am directing my first show since I retired,” said Eberhard in a July 31 post on his Facebook page. “Please join me, SCHS alumni Rick Carlson, Aaron Buckley, Chris Martus, Anson Pavlov, John Plonk Jr., and Jenna Russell, plus over 25 other very talented artists from the metro Detroit area for the Boardwalk Theatre’s production of one of musical theatre’s greatest shows.”
Carlson, the former SCHS choir teacher, stars as Tyve.
The cast will stage the show 17 times during the run, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $38.
“We have a great cast and crew,” Eberhard said. “It is looking like it is going to be a great show.”
The story is set in the Ukraine in the rural village of Anatevka where Jews and Russians are struggling to hang onto old values in the face of revolution. The play was first produced 60 years ago and its messages continue to resonate.
“Its themes of tradition, change, and love are still applicable to the world we live in today,” said Eberhard. “Finding the balance between respecting tradition, embracing progress, and wanting what is best for our families continues to be a common struggle for society.”
The play is studded with famous songs, including “Sunrise, Sunset,” “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Matchmaker, Matchmaker.”
“We’ve been watching your work for over a decade and are thrilled to have your talent grace our stage,” said the theater in a post responding to Eberhard.
Eberhard earned a master’s degree in directing from the College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in Chicago in 2004.
“During his time at Roosevelt, Mark had the opportunity to work with artists from some of Chicago’s best theaters: The Goodman, Steppenwolf, Lookingglass Theatre and Chicago Shakespeare,” said the theater in a “Meet the Director” post.
Theater, it turns out, teaches many of the same principles as sports, such as teamwork and perseverance. But theater is a weird kind of shadow sport. There is no section in the local newspaper devoted to theater. Plays are not televised, like football and basketball, on community cable channels.
“Theatre gives a different type of kid a home,” said Eberhard in 2016 as he was entering his 20th year helming plays at the high school.
Now it’s giving a different type of adult a new home.
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
