NEW Earswick Musicals are keeping it in the family for Fiddler On The Roof, the musical about milkman Tevye and his daughters.

Two or more members of no fewer than eight families are involved in next week's production at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, either on stage or backstage.

"The show is all about tradition in the small tumbledown, workaday village of Anatevka, and what can be more traditional than family?" says Steve Tearle, the society's chairman, who will play Tevye.

He highlights the contribution of one of the seven families, the O'Neills, from Heworth. Father James will play the innkeeper Reb Mordcha; son Alfie, nine, will be the Fiddler, and his brother Jack, 12, will take on numerous ensemble roles.

They were all born in York, for although James moved south in younger days to work in London, he headed home to Yorkshire after three years because he missed the north.

James never went near a stage until he was 41. His stepdad, who had performed in the 1988 York Mystery Plays, saw an advert for community actors to audition for the 2012 Mystery Plays in the Museum Gardens and reckoned James had the attributes to thrive in this environment.

How right he was. James had such a great time that he signed up for the 2013 community production, Blood + Chocolate, this time with his eldest son Jack, as it was important to him to share such great experiences with his children.

"They had a fantastic time in the show, culminating in James running the York Marathon on the day of the final performance, then getting freshened up to perform in the show that same evening," says Steve.

"James and his children began to look for fresh challenges, and when they heard that New Earswick Musicals were holding open auditions for Oliver!, they thought, ‘let's give it a go’.

"None of of them had been in a musical before but the auditions went well and they all gained roles: Jack as Charlie Bates, Alfie as an orphan and a member of Fagin's gang, and James as Bill Sikes, which was quite a challenge for a total musicals novice.

"The whole experience turned out to be amazing and they followed it up with roles in last year's York Theatre Royal community production, In Fog A Falling Snow at the National Railway Museum and The Beggar's Opera, as well as Alfie and James performing in New Earswick's production of Meet Me In St Louis."

Jack has since performed with Flying Ducks Youth Theatre in Bugsy Malone and in a school production of Annie too. Now he unites once more with father James and brother Alfie for Fiddler.

Alfie will be hitting the heights as the Fiddler of the title. "When we were looking for a young man to be the Fiddler, it wasn't just about could he look like he is playing a fiddle but could he sit 9ft above the stage floor and feel comfortable?" says Steve. "No worries for Alfie: he loves it up there and he's very comfortable!"

James says: "We've enjoyed working with so many people at New Earswick as they take time with you and want you to succeed. We're all very proud to be part of Fiddler On The Roof, especially with Alfie playing the Fiddler. New Earswick Musicals have such a strong and talented cast; it's amazing to see it all come together, and with a crew that are simply brilliant, we're all honoured to be part of such an amazing experience."

As well as the O'Neills, six families are well represented in Fiddler: Paul Jefferson, ensemble and backstage; son Ben, playing Avram, and daughter Katy, ensemble; Sarah Joyce Craggs, playing Hodel, and sister Emma Joyce Craggs, playing Tzeitel; and Kit Stroud, playing Mendel, and sister Mia, ensemble.

Director Ann McCreadie is playing Yente, joined by granddaughter Affrica McLauren, who plays Shprintzer; Michael Inch is working backstage, daughter Holly is in the ensemble; Faye Richardson is doing props and backstage work, sons Sam and Calham are part of the ensemble; and sisters Margaux and Mathilde Barker are playing Bielke, the youngest of Teyve's daughters, and an ensemble role respectively.

New Earswick Musicals' Fiddler On The Roof will run at Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, from November 9 to 12, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: 01904 501935 or at josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk