The actors often take centre stage, but what’s happening underneath the spotlight?
All musical orchestras live in the pit, and for those who don’t know, it is exactly what it sounds like: a room under the stage with an opening where the conductor stands.
Shepparton Theatre Arts Group is opening its curtains to its Fiddler on the Roof production tomorrow night, so The News sat down with orchestra members to learn more about our local musicians.
Mitchell Clack
Mitchell Clack is conducting the orchestra this year.
Having only “dabbled” previously, he is ready to lead the band from opening night to the final curtain close.
Mitchell was born in 1989 in Newcastle, NSW, but followed his wife to Shepparton in 2015, making him a resident of eight years.
Since moving to the town, he has established himself as a nuclear medicine technologist — which is a medical imaging position.
Mitchell’s musical career began in the 1990’s, blowing his first note while still in the single digits.
“I started playing trumpet at age eight and I had a primary school teacher who was involved in the brass band who really motivated me,” Mitchell said.
“I then moved to the cornet, but conducting-wise, I’ve only dabbled.”
His first conducting gig was with the Echuca Federal Band in 2017, but having been conducted in the past has given him valuable knowledge.
“Conducting Fiddler has been quite good, as I’ve been able to put what I’ve learnt from amazing musical directors before me into the show,” he said.
However, Mitchell isn’t a newbie in the pit, having been a trumpet player in several local productions.
His history spans back to his third year in the area, being a part of Initial Stage’s production of Les Miserables in 2017.
In 2018, he was in the orchestra for STAG’s production of Wicked.
2019 saw Mitchell was in both STAG’s Jesus Christ Superstar and Initial Stages’s Fame.
His talents were not only distributed in theatre companies, as he was also a member of the 12-piece live band for Notre Dame College’s production of Little Shop of Horrors.
His latest appearance was as a trumpet player in STAG’s 2022 musical, Drowsy Chaperone.
Mitchell was suggested for the role in Fiddler, leaving him with a tough decision to balance responsibilities.
“It was a difficult decision as I had to think about balancing having a one-year-old (child) and being committed to the show,” Mitchell said.
However, since accepting his role, Mitchell said rehearsals for Fiddler had been positive and productive.
“I’ve really enjoyed the process as a whole,” he said.
“It’s going really well. Having such experienced people around me has been great.”
Liesl Parnell
Liesl, 18, will be tackling the on-stage role of the Fiddler, as well as the guitar and mandolin in the pit.
A Shepparton local through and through, Liesl attended Notre Dame Secondary College, where she was first introduced to orchestra pit work.
However, her passion for music began long before her high school days.
“I come from a very musical family, my mum, Sherryn, plays the piano and does vocals and Michael, my dad, does vocals and drums,” she said.
“Violin has been my main instrument for a while now.”
“I played my first note at four years old, but I started playing under Wendy Oaks when I was seven, and I’ve loved it ever since.
“At either 11 or 12 I started with the Goulburn Valley Concert Orchestra which is where it turned from a hobby to a passion.”
In 2021, Liesl walked into the WestSide Performing Arts Centre’s pit stairwell, as part of Notre’s Little Shop of Horrors production.
“I could live down there,” she said.
“You gotta be on your toes the whole time and the people you work with are incredible.”
Since graduating high school last year, Liesl has worked as a music trainee and string teacher at Greater Shepparton Secondary College.
She hopes to pursue a double degree in music and education next year.
Fiddler on the Roof will mark a few firsts for Liesl.
It will be her first time working with STAG and her first time being on stage as a character.
“Being the on-stage fiddler in Fiddler on the Roof is a bucket list item for me, so when I saw it was happening in Shepparton, I knew I had to be a part of it,” she said.
“It’s been a great experience as I’ve never been an actor but I’m so excited.”
According to Liesl, rehearsals have been going well.
“They’re going smooth, there’s no ego, and everyone is lovely.
“It’s really been an incredible opportunity.”
Katherine Cartwright
In Fiddler on the Roof, Katherine is playing the trumpet.
Katherine was born in Sydney, NSW, but moved around for her dad’s work, including living in the USA.
In 1992, she moved in with her mother, bringing her to Shepparton, the place she would call home for many years.
She attended Wanganui Secondary School, which is where her love for music began to grow.
“In Year 7 we tried out all the different instruments and trumpet stuck with me,” she said.
“I loved it so much that I wanted to be a music teacher.”
However, her dreams would become half reality as she now works as a trainer and assessor at GOTAFE, Shepparton.
“It’s a new job, but I’m loving it so far,” she said.
After leaving high school, Katherine met her future husband, Warren Cartwright.
They married in 2005, and Katherine gave birth to four children between 2009 and 2015.
Her second oldest child, Charlotte, is also a part of the show, playing the role of Shprintze in the show’s sunset cast.
Katherine first entered the pit in late high school as part of the 1999 STAG production of Me and My Girl under Joyce Baker-Dawber.
She was also the trumpet player of STAG’s 2000 production of Guys and Dolls under Ossie Jellyman and Kierin Murphy.
Katherine also lends her time to local schools, having joined the pit for the Notre Dame College production of Legally Blonde last year.
Katherine has been attending rehearsals for Fiddler since the beginning and said she has seen the progress of the band.
“Rehearsals are going really well, everyone is playing beautifully,” she said.
“It’s really coming together.”
Eric Anderson
Eric will be tackling the tricky and uncommon instruments of the oboe and English horn in Fiddler.
Eric was born in 1954 in Geelong, moving around before settling in Broadford.
Oboe players have a reputation for being few and far between, a saying that Eric finds a lot of truth in.
“I work in Shepp and other towns in the area as there aren’t many oboe teachers around,” Eric said.
He first took an interest in woodwind instruments as a 12-year-old, after listening to records of classical music.
In 1974, as a 20-year-old, he began playing the oboe.
Eric was the musical director for an army band and was in a leadership position at the Defence Force School of Music for almost 30 years.
“I was the head of the joint and in various executive roles for 29 years from 1971 to ’99,” Eric said.
He also spent time working as a tipstaff in the county court, where his jobs included administering oaths and looking after jury members.
“That was another reason I spent time in Shepp,” he said.
“Really, my role was man management, I kept the jury in order.”
His first time under the stage in the orchestra pit was in 1973, but since then, he has been involved in several local productions.
Throughout his time in musical orchestras, he has played a range of instruments, from the oboe and clarinet to the English horn.
His orchestral pit history includes STAG’s Wicked and Initial Stages’s Sound of Music.
Eric said that Fiddler has been great since accepting the musical position.
“I’ve worked with Mitchell before, and he contacted me to be a part of the show and I was happy to give it a go,” he said.
“It’s a bit of travel for me, but it’s worth the commitment so I’m happy with my decision to join.”
The band as a whole has been tight and well-organised, according to Eric.
“It’s (rehearsals) have been good. Mitch has done a good job at keeping everything together, and it’s always fun to do this sort of thing,” he said.
Sandy Sexton
Sandy will be playing the flute under the Fiddler stage this year.
She was born in the USA, not too far away from Ontario, Canada.
She grew up around music, and her love for it was encouraged and grew as she did.
“My house was always filled with lots of music,” she said.
“My father played the tuba, but then he became a terrific bass singer.”
“Near where we lived, we had a great church that had both an adult’s and a children’s choir, so I was singing with that group from about four years old.”
She came from a family of seven, who all undertook piano lessons and would grace the local area with carol singing each festive season.
Her familiarity with vocal technique made her transition to flute playing smooth, Sandy said.
“Flute is very much like singing; you use similar muscles, and in music, the flutes are often doing a similar melody to vocals.
“I began playing flute at 10 years old and I was in primary school then, but throughout the years, I have played in a number of groups.”
In high school, she became involved in the theatre scene.
“I enjoyed theatre, but I knew I didn’t want to be on stage; I wanted to be behind the scenes, helping the actors to shine,” she said.
Sandy said that rehearsals have been going smoothly, and she encourages anyone with time to come and support the show.
“It’s been fantastic, and Mitchell is great,” she said.
“He is so clear with his direction.”
“I think that anyone who comes to the show will be caught up in the music; it’s just so beautiful.”
To see the orchestra perform the soundtrack in Fiddler on the Roof, which opens on Friday, September 15, head to the Riverlinks website for details and tickets.