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Crew member Diego Garibay, 15, does mike checks before a dress rehearsal of Ogden High School's production, "Fiddler on the Roof" Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 (NANCY VAN VALKENBURG/Standard-Examiner)

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Student Cole Stern plays Tevya in Ogden High School's production of "Fiddler on the Roof" Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 (NANCY VAN VALKENBURG/Standard-Examiner)

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Jeremiah Robinson plays the title character in Ogden High School's production of "Fiddler on the Roof" Tuesday, February 21, 2012. (NANCY VAN VALKENBURG/Standard-Examiner)

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Bass player Ashley Byrd tolerates the musical curiosity of actor Daniel Toscano, before a dress rehearsal for Ogden High School's production of "Fiddler on the Roof" Tuesday, February 21, 2012 (NANCY VAN VALKENBURG/Standard-Examiner)

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OGDEN — Ogden High School actors will relaunch their restored historic auditorium this weekend with a musical about tradition.

The school’s first big musical, now that students are back on their home stage, is “Fiddler on the Roof.”

“We are making new traditions and keeping old ones,” said drama teacher and show director Jed Broberg. “We hope theater at Ogden High will be a thriving thing that brings people back each year.”

Ogden High’s auditorium underwent a $9 million renovation in the last year, a small part of a whole-school renovation and restoration, to protect the 1936 school while bringing it up to current safety codes. The auditorium funds were raised privately, by the Ogden School District Foundation, as much of the upgrade was historic and decorative, as opposed to purely functional.

“I am new this year, and the first time I walked into this beautiful space, my jaw dropped,” Broberg said of the ornate, gilded, art deco auditorium, with historic light fixtures and walnut paneling.

With the new sound and light systems installed as part of the renovation project, “Ogden High is absolutely up there, technically speaking, with most of the theaters you’ll find around here,” Broberg said.

Carolyn Stevens, Ogden School District’s performing area manager, said she remembers the auditorium from when her son attended Ogden High.

“It was a shambles,” Stevens said. “This is just so clean and tidy. It feels more professional and user-friendly.”

A few outside events, such as concerts, have been booked into the space, Stevens said. Only minor technical glitches have been discovered and have been repaired or circumvented.

“This is comparable to what you find in a professional theater,” said Stevens, who is handling props and music for the show. “With everything here, we can put on a beautiful show. I am inspired by the possibilities. And any bells and whistles that we might want to add later would be easy to integrate.”

Joyce Wilson, Ogden School Board member and show producer, said she didn’t attend Ogden High, but she feels a bond with the school.

“I’ve adopted it,” said Wilson, a theater enthusiast. “None of the other schools’ theaters can compare. And we actually have real dressing rooms now.”

Broberg said he’s proud of the hard work his students are putting in, and he’s excited to play a part in bringing the beautiful, old theater back to life.

“We were on hiatus, and we are rebuilding the program,” he said. “Maybe not from the ground up, but from the second floor. And I’m pretty proud we get to relaunch a proud tradition with a musical about the importance of traditions.”

“Fiddler on the Roof,” a 1964 musical, is about a small Jewish community in Tsarist Russia that tries to cling to its traditions in a changing world.

Performances are at 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Monday, at the school, 2828 Harrison Blvd. Tickets are $5 at the door, and were not sold in advance.

“We’re hoping for a good crowd,” Wilson said. “With 1,500 seats, I can’t imagine we will sell out, but it sure would be nice.”