Fiddler on the Roof features an usher turned actor in starring role

feel good Ellen Ebbs stars in Fiddler on the Roof at the theatre where she was once an usher When Ellen Ebbs took to the stage for the first time as an actor in Fiddler on the Roof at Theatre Royal Sydney, she found it difficult to hold back tears. Ebbs, 24, was performing in the same theatre where she used to work as an usher. "It's literally the theatre I work [in] five times a week," Ebbs told ABC News. "I clean those stalls, I work on the bar, I work with the cocktails … I've been in that theatre, like, 200 times, but always from the other side." Ebbs has made her main stage debut in the Australian production of the award-winning and critically acclaimed Fiddler on the Roof starring Troy Sussman as Tevye, Alexis Fishman as Golde and Sigrid Thornton as Yente. The musical is set in 1905 in the tiny village of Anatevka. Tevye, a Jewish milkman, has five daughters, which means a visit from the matchmaker. But he's forced to reckon with his proud traditions against the backdrop of a changing world and the will of his children. Fiddler on the Roof is internationally hailed as one of the greatest musicals of all time, with a score featuring If I Were a Rich Man, Tradition, Matchmaker and Sunrise, Sunset. 'A crazy full-circle moment' Ebbs plays Tevye's daughter, Hodel, alongside stage sisters Freya Boltman as Tzeitel, and Caity Plummer as Chava. As a former usher in that same room, as soon as Ebbs looked out at the audience, the emotions took over. "As soon as I stepped on stage, I literally started crying,"Ebbs said. "It was just such a crazy full-circle moment, and I think it hit me in that moment, seeing the stage from that point of view, and looking at the stalls that I've worked at. "It was such a pinch-me moment." From the Foyer to the stage Ebbs started working as an usher at Theatre Royal Sydney in February 2025. Her first shift was on opening night of Hadestown starring Christine Anu. "I remember [my] first shift. I was like, 'Wait, I'm getting paid to watch theatre?' I was like, 'This is such a hack! What the heck?' "Every shift, getting to watch all these actors that I look up to, it was just like a free masterclass every shift." Ebbs enjoyed chatting to patrons about what they thought about each show. Her co-workers were other young creatives working as ushers, including aspiring actors, directors and writers. She says they've all been super supportive of her transition to the stage. "The support from Theatre Royal has actually melted my heart," Ebbs said. "On opening night, there was a big bouquet of flowers in my dressing room, and they had a massive card that was signed by every usher and bartender." She says she was greeted by staff in the foyer on opening night. "They all just started screaming and cheering my name, and clapping, and my besties were crying," Ebbs said. "And I was like, 'This is literally like a movie.' "It was so beautiful, and just seeing how excited they all [were], and that's something I realised: every single show, I'm going to have someone supporting me, because I have the ushers. "They've been very, very supportive." Getting with the program Ebbs graduated in Musical Theatre in 2024 from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) after being bitten by the acting bug early in life. "I feel like I was one of those kids that I didn't really see myself doing anything else,"Ebbs said. "My parents met doing amateur musicals. "So, I definitely got my love for theatre and musicals from them." Ebbs always felt "free" on stage, but as the youngest of four children, and with both parents working as psychologists, Ebbs didn't realise acting could be a job. Whenever she went to a show, however, she would read the program and notice that so many of the actors had graduated from WAAPA. "I was like, 'What the hell is this WAAPA place?'" Ebbs said. "I remember being, like, 10 and being like, 'Okay, well, the people that are up there went here, so I'm going to go there, because then I can get up there.' "So that kind of started my dream of going to acting school and going to WAAPA." 'Truly magic show' In Fiddler on the Roof, Ebbs plays the defiant second-oldest daughter. "Hodel is so strong-minded, very intelligent, very witty, and isn't afraid to go against the grain," Ebbs says. "It is truly magic this show. "I feel so honoured and so, so grateful to be a part of this show." She didn't anticipate finding her feet so quickly. "Because this is my first main stage production, I was a bit, obviously, intimidated, coming into it," Ebbs says. "I was like, 'Right, okay, I don't really have any credits to my name, and I'm coming into this with theatre vets, like Troy, like Alexis, like Sigrid.' "And I … wasn't sure what the vibe was going to be, but day one of rehearsal, I was blown away by how humble the room was. "Everyone is so down-to-earth, and there's no power hierarchy at all. "Everyone's just here to work, and also to support each other, and I think with a show like Fiddler, where it tackles some heavy themes and very emotional themes, it's so important to have a company that has each other's back." She says her favourite part of the show is watching Sussman sing If I Were a Rich Man, and she also gets a kick out of singing Matchmaker with the other daughters. "The way that Jordan [Fein] has directed it to be this feminist anthem … it's like this kind of punk rock anthem," she says. "And singing that with [Caity and Freya] every night fills me with so much joy, and shout out to them, because they're amazing." Fiddler on the Roof is currently playing at Theatre Royal Sydney and will soon tour Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.