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  • The 2025 Summer Theatre, beloved musical classic with a family drama that touches

In the summer of 2025, Västerbottensteatern returns with the classic "Fiddler on the Roof" in Medleforsparken. The musical is a classic from 1964 that has been staged over and over again around the world, but it has now taken on an extra contemporary relevance with the war in Ukraine when the Jewish village in the play is terrorized by Russians, who in the end force them out of their homes. The musical is set in 1905 in Anatevka, a fictional shtetl (Jewish village) in the Jewish settlement area of Tsarist Russia, which today belongs to Ukraine. The protagonist, Tevye, fights to preserve Jewish traditions against her daughters' desire and desire to marry men of their choice. This family conflict takes place against a backdrop of external unrest and persecution of Jews. The story highlights a family and their traditions, beliefs and culture, and depicts the persecution they are subjected to because of their ethnicity. It highlights a lesser-known part of Jewish history, Russian pogroms from the late 1800s to the early 1900s that caused many Jews to emigrate to America. "This is a story about the dissolution of patriarchy, the revolt of daughters and a family that is torn apart and forced to flee. At the same time as it depicts Tevye and his family with a lot of humor and warmth, it also shows injustice, authoritarianism and lack of humanism in a politically troubled time, says the director Ronny Danielsson. The performance in Medleforsparken will offer wonderful, well-known music, laughter and tears. It is a current story that, despite being set over 100 years ago, is just as much about the world today with increased anti-Semitism and war and persecution in countries around us. This year's ensemble will consist of a total of 23 acting, singing and dancing people, of which 14 are amateurs - both children and adults.