Choreographer Tripp Fountain certainly has big shoes to fill.

After all, Jerome Robbins was no slouch. His work on “Fiddler on the Roof” scored Robbins two Tonys — for choreography and for his direction of the hit musical. In all, the show won nine Tonys that year as well as a special Tony, in 1972, for being the longest running show on Broadway.

Fountain, 26, choreographed the Colorado Springs Conservatory production, which opens tonight and runs through Sunday at Colorado College. It stars local heavy hitters Sol Chavez, Eve Tilley, Linda Weise as well as conservatory alum David Seigel. Jamie Richards of the Ensemble Studio Theater in New York directs.

You know the story. Tevye (Sol Chavez) is the father of five willful daughters. He struggles to maintain tradition, which, even in Tsarist Russia in 1905, is slipping away. As he does, the life of the village is shaken by Tsar’s mandate that Jews must leave their villages.

“I really think this is an extraordinary piece with a beautiful, rich score,” says Fountain, a conservatory grad living and working in New York City now. “And it is an iconic show – the challenge for me has been marrying the ‘tradition’ of the piece with the talents of the cast members.”

Here Fountain talks about his Broadway debut, the challenge of making “Fiddler” relevant today and what you do when some of your cast aren’t exactly Tommy Tune.

The Gazette: You understudied in a Broadway production of  “Hair” last year. What was it like to be one step away from a whole lot of people’s biggest dream – to play the Great White Way?

Tripp Fountain: Actually, my position in “Hair” was responsible for knowing almost half of the parts in the entire show, and I went on for,  I believe, six different roles while we were playing the St. James (Theater), including going on at intermission for a girl’s track (in my own costume.)

My first Broadway performance was the weekend after we opened, playing Margaret Mead, who sings the solo “My Conviction.” Family and friends were there. It was really magical.

Gazette: And now you’re here. How did that happen?

Fountain: I was talking to (conservatory executive director) Linda Weise when I was in Denver with “Hair” last fall, and she asked if I would be available to choreograph over the summer.  Of course, I jumped at the chance! I was a student at CSC from 7th grade through high school graduation, and I always love an opportunity to come home and work with my family at the Conservatory. And having this collaboration with adult members of the community has enriched the production as well as the rehearsal process. It’s such a wonderful coming together of our own Anatevka.

Gazette: “Fiddler” has an almost cultish following.  I have to ask: Are you one of those people who know every lyric, every musical turn?

Fountain: Ha!  I have often been introduced as a musical theatre encyclopedia, and it’s totally true: I’m a theatre nut.

Gazette: What else have you choreographed?

Fountain: My first time choreographing a full-length musical on my own was “The Music Man” (during) my senior year at Lewis-Palmer High School.  I was the choreographer and Harold Hill, if you can believe it! I also assisted for “Annie Get Your Gun” my junior year. Most recently, I came back to choreograph “Seussical: The Musical” for CSC, just before I started performing in “Hair.”

Gazette: I would imagine that you’ve got dancers in this production of just about every skill level. Do you choreograph with that in mind or do you bring them up to your level?

Fountain: It really works both ways. I had a general shape of what the dance numbers would be, but I came in to the first day of rehearsal with no idea what the level of the group would be. I started by teaching a combination that the majority of the cast would need to know, so I could see everyone move. From there it was shaping the group, and choosing people that would rise to the occasion for featured moments like the “Bottle Dance.”

Gazette: “Fiddler” is set in a Tsarist Russia 1905. Does that historical and religious backdrop pose any challenges for you here?

Fountain: I think that working on a show like “Fiddler,” which takes place in such a fascinating moment in Russian history, is such an amazing gift. What I do in preparation for rehearsals is find how the truth of the show’s reality can be translated into terms that we can understand today. In addition, for “Fiddler,” I also researched Jerome Robbins’ incredible original work, so that the spirit of that movement can be brought to our production.

Jamie Richards, our fabulous director, and I have talked to the cast about how close the world of the play is to us. The struggle between the people and the government; the struggle between the parents’ generation and the children’s. And the negotiation between religions has proven to be as real today as it was a hundred years ago on the other side of the world!