On Nov. 3rd, Musical Theatre Historian Brings the Story Behind 'Fiddler on the Roof'

A multimedia matinee comes to River Forest on Tuesday, November 3rd, as an acclaimed musical theatre historian shares the fascinating story of the creation of “Fiddler on the Roof” at the River Forest Community Center, 8020 Madison.

The free program begins at 2 p.m., and is the 2015 finale for a five-part series jointly sponsored by River Forest Township and the River Forest Public Library. Dubbed “Let’s Celebrate Seniors All Year Long,” the series has featured programs especially tailored to seniors, but which are free and open to people of all ages, as well as those from outside River Forest and Oak Park.

Terry Zachata of New York Life is an additional sponsor of Troy’s presentation, which comes just in time for the Broadway revival of Fiddler that opens in November.

The original “Fiddler” production, which debuted in 1964, won 10 Tony Awards, including a special Tony for becoming the longest-running Broadway musical of all time. In his dramatization, Troy relates the story in a seamless 90-minute multimedia presentation with original graphics, scanned photos, edited audio tracks and video clips, and a scripted dramatic narrative.

A longtime graphic designer, Troy has more than 50 programs in his repertoire, which he has been developing for the past dozen years. Earlier this year, for Celebrating Seniors Week, he presented “The Creation of the Sound of Music” on the 50th anniversary of that film classic.

The township and library’s collaboration is inspired by, but not directly associated with, Celebrating Seniors Week, a not-for-profit initiative that culminates in a weeklong series of events every May throughout River Forest, Oak Park and Forest Park. River Forest Township is a strong supporter of Celebrating Seniors.

Prior events in the series this year have spanned a variety of topics, from pilot Amelia Earhart and “Strings Attached” co-author Melanie Kupchynsky of River Forest to a downsizing-and-decluttering expert and a session on “Style Over 60.”

To learn more about the services provided by River Forest Township, please call 708-366-2029 or visit www.RiverForestTownship.org. On Facebook: www.facebook.com/RiverForestTownship; on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RFTownship.

The River Forest Public Library is online at www.rflib.org, and can be reached at 708-366-5205. On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiverForestPublicLibrary

To learn more about Charles Troy, visit www.charlestroy.com.