Elk Ridge Middle ninth-grader Jerrick Denison loves the feeling he gets when the curtain rises.

“I like singing and a lot of my friends do it too,” he said about auditioning for the musical. “It’s fun to perform and I get excitement from it.”

After performing in the school’s previous productions of “Oklahoma!” and “Newsies,” Jerrick wanted a bigger role this year. He landed the role of the hard-working tailor, Motel, in the recent school production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” which opened to nearly sold-out audiences for every performance. 

The musical features 105 students both on stage and behind the scenes. It is directed by JJ Vuki, with music director Keith Goodrich, who worked together on choreography. The house manager is Halli Bleak.

The road to opening night took months of preparation. Students auditioned in late fall, learning a short dance and singing part of a song. Rehearsals began in December and continued through the final dress rehearsals in early March.

“At the beginning, we rehearsed on weekdays if you were called for that scene,” Jerrick said. “Now, everybody’s called every day, except for Sunday.”

Rehearsals are more than just singing or memorizing lines. Jerrick learned to develop his character on stage and think independently as an actor.

“I had to figure out my actions instead of being told what to do and that’s made me a better actor,” he said. “When you’re on stage and not having lines or singing, I interact with people and show them my sewing machine, so it makes it look engaging and real. I’ve learned to get along with people in the process.”

Jerrick said the experience helps him improvise if something unexpected happens and the skills also translate to the classroom.

“When I have to do presentations or something up in front of class, I’m not really nervous to do those types of things,” he said.

That confidence is one of the main goals of the theater program, Vuki said.

“I want students to learn how to interact with each other and have an experience where they feel uplifted and feel happy,” she said. “I want them to find community. By participating, they’re learning how to stand in front of a crowd, project and talk loudly. They learn how to talk with another person and how to work together.”

The production of “Fiddler on the Roof” also gave students a chance to explore themes in the story.

“They’ve all read the musical and we’ve talked a lot about the culture, the religion, the time period, the history and what was taking place then,” she said. “Every cast member developed an identity for their character. I asked them all to come up with a Jewish or Russian name if they were not given one in the script and to understand what that person was and how they worked within this village and to bring that to the stage with this understanding.”

Elk Ridge’s theater program also emphasizes student leadership. Bingham High students who previously participated in the program have returned as student directors, helping the middle-schoolers with technical elements such as sets, costumes and stage management. 

Parents have volunteered in countless ways, from providing snacks and meals to set building and costuming.

“I’m really blessed to have great parents and appreciate the contributions of everyone involved,” Vuki said. “I want to thank them for showing up for your kids and for our program.”

The ties and friendships amongst middle-schoolers and the community make the experience worthwhile.

“I’ve met a lot of other students in seventh and eighth grades I wouldn’t have made friends with if I wasn’t part of the musical,” Jerrick said. “I really like performing on stage; it makes me happy.”