Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 2, 1995 TAG: 9509050018
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JENNIFER JABLONSKI SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
Hovering around 5 feet tall, the Rev. Clare Fischer-Davies uses her limited time to deliver a powerful message about the meaning of faith and its place in her church's baptismal rite. ``Faith is the product of a well-disciplined life,'' she tells her fan-wielding congregation on a sweltering Sunday in the Christ Church in Blacksburg.
``Faith is the assurance of things hoped for ... it means to hold on to something firmly,'' she says. ``At any moment ... the hope can be realized.''
At one time, Fischer-Davies had hopes of remaining a professional operatic singer for the rest of her life. ``But all along I thought I was called to do something else, although it took me a while to realize it,'' she reveals after the service ends.
Although she left the highly esteemed pressure cooker of professional opera, the local production of ``Fiddler on the Roof'' has been blessed with the minister's talents.
Fischer-Davies plays Golde, a Jewish mother and wife who anchors the play along with her husband, Tevye. They have five daughters who ponder the future men in their lives while Yente, the matchmaker, is arranging a marriage between the oldest daughter, Tzeitel, and the town's butcher. Tzeitel refuses to marry the butcher and opts for someone she loves, triggering an avalanche of challenges to the poverty-ridden village's traditions.
``I love Fiddler. It's about people who suffer for their faith, something most middle-class Christians don't know anything about,'' Fischer-Davies says. Her performance drew praise from WVTF arts reporter Anna Wentworth during the show's sold-out, five-performance run at Virginia Tech.
`` s evye's wife, Golde, Clare Fischer- avies is a good foil. Her Golde is the real boss. Tiny though she is, he's terrified of her,'' Wentworth said.
A Clifton Forge native, Fischer-Davies studied voice at the New England Conservatory and the Royal College of Music. Her stage experience includes musical theatre, opera and oratorio performances in Virginia, Boston and London.
She's appeared in "Carmen" and "La Boheme" with the Southwest Virginia Opera Society. Last summer she played Elsa Schrader in "The Sound of Music" with Showtimers in Roanoke.
``Musicals are easier than opera,'' she says. ``There's much less pressure, and it's a lot more fun. You can think more about the character and the words - sell the song. When you sing opera, you're always concerned about sound production and producing a gorgeous tone.''
Two years after she finished studying how to produce that operatic sound in Cambridge at the Royal College of Music, Fischer-Davies headed for seminary. Since then, she's been the first female minister at so many churches that ``it wears off,'' she says.
A wife to Gerry Davies, a copy editor at The Roanoke Times, and mother of 3-year-old Mary and 5-year-old Andy, Fischer-Davies became the first female minister at Blacksburg's Christ Episcopal Church when her family moved to Blacksburg in March 1994.
``She's brought a real sense of organization to our parish. She's been received very favorably,'' said 76-year-old Arthur Tuthill, who sits on the church's governing board. ``She's made us a better family unit, and that's the best thing she could have done.''
Some "Fiddler" cast members say she's brought that ability to draw people together to the stage.
Katie Sina, a Blacksburg High junior who plays one of Golde's daughters, says Fisher-Davies is her role model. ``The first time I heard her sing, I had chills. I almost started crying. I look forward to being on the stage with her every single time,'' she says. ``We all just look at each other when she sings and think, `Wow, what a voice.'''
Kate Schawabe plays Hodel, another daughter. ``I'm jealous I don't get a special scene with her. I'm the only daughter that doesn't. She's the kind of performer that you just want to be around,'' she says.
Fischer-Davies thinks the theater medium has a natural tendency to encourage friendships among the cast. ``Theater is a real cooperative project, and I love that. It's totally non-competitive, working towards the same goal,'' she says.
The minister also likes the freedom of interpreting musical characters under stage director Jeff McCoy. ``He lets me do a lot with Golde. Sometimes she's a very shallow character, but this Golde has depth. She rules sometimes, although Tevye takes charge outside the home, true to the times.''
Fischer-Davies' only complaint about the all-volunteer project is ``sleep deprivation. It's a lot of hours, especially right before the show opens.''
``Fiddler on the Roof'' plays tonight at 7:30 and Sunday at 3 p.m. in Preston Auditorium at Radford University. Tickets for the public are $8, $5 for seniors, and $4 for students and children. Tickets will be sold at the door.
by CNB