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Becoming the fiddler: Fiddler on the Roof

2025-08-29T08:28:21.270

FOTR RPOAT GM2024 214

Violinist Raphael Papo plays the title character in the award-winning production of Fiddler on the Roof currently touring the UK. He writes about his research and the interdisciplinary approach that went into developing the role at the heart of this classic musical

It was in June 2024 that I found myself in a room with around thirty extroverted and intimidatingly friendly actors. We were standing in a circle trying to break the ice by taking it in turn to make noises and gesticulations to describe our morning – I couldn’t have felt more out of place. It was the start of the rehearsal process for Fiddler on the Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, a process that has completely changed my life and my view of the possibilities for a classical musician within our broader arts industry…

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