After 46 years, the BDT Stage was set to close in Boulder after their current production.
Now, the owners of the building are letting the company have one more curtain call production.
Last July, BDT Stage shared the news that the building it occupied had been sold and the theater company would take a final bow at the end of this season. Last weekend, however, producing director Seamus McDonough said the season would now get a special encore.
“We were contacted by the folks who purchased the land and the building that we operate in and on, and they asked us if we would like to do one more show to finish out the year,” McDonough said.
That encore will be the seventh production of “Fiddler on the Roof” at BDT Stage, formerly known as the Boulder’s Dinner Theatre.
McDonough said he had one condition to present the encore of “Fiddler on the Roof”: “I was not going to do the show unless Wayne was gonna to play Tevya. That was a big condition for me because that just didn't feel right to do it without him as part of it.”
Wayne Kennedy will return to “Fiddler” as Tevye from Boulder's Dinner Theatre's 2014-15 season. Kenny Moten will direct. McDonough said “Fiddler on the Roof” is the most produced show in BDT Stage history.
Kennedy last appeared in “Church Basement Ladies” at BDT Stage last holiday season. Kennedy expected that to be his final acting role. “And it felt like a nice way for him to wrap up because he’s not planning on acting after the theater closes,” McDonough said. “It feels like it's a way for us to highlight probably one of the most iconic actors we've had on our stage in 46 years. And also just one of the most incredible human beings I've ever known in my life.”
Adding another full run also means trying to keep staff on longer than planned. McDonough said he understands that many businesses, restaurants in particular, continue to have difficulty finding staff.
“We are definitely in a better position right now than we were even six months ago. And the thing is, even with the minimal staff that we've had and people being there, everybody has worked their butts off to make sure that everything goes smoothly,” McDonough said. “And our patrons have a wonderful experience when they're coming in.”
McDonough said this final season was possible because of their loyal patrons.
“This last season has been overwhelming with people coming out and just saying how much they're gonna miss the space, miss the people, all of that because of the fact that we're a different breed,” McDonough said. “Our actors have gotten to know our patrons over the years and know them on a personal level to the point of knowing they know what their kids' names are, and patrons know our actors', kids' names, and it's just been something that's been so special.”
The BDT Stage’s production of Fiddler on the Roof will follow its staging of “The Sound of Music,” which runs through August 19.
