Students Perform Les Mis at Memorial Auditorium
August 22, 2007 - More than 70 students from 22 Wake County Public schools are completing several weeks of full day practices to prepare for the Broadway Series South production of the student performance of Les Mis Sept 28 and 29 at Memorial Auditorium.Behind the Scenes at Les Mis
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 Broadway star and Les Mis director Terrence Mann and Wakefield teacher Paul Orsett work on blocking a scene... |
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Listen to students |
The production is coordinated by Elizabeth Grimes-Droessler, WCPSS Senior Director for Arts Education.
“Les Mis is a classic piece of French literature that has been made into a musical, one of the longest running shows on Broadway,” said Grimes-Droessler. “Because of the scale of this show, it’s something they would probably never tackle at their own high school. Bringing together a production from all over the school system, students get to participate in a show that is really at the Broadway level.”
The WCPSS students have the opportunity to prepare for the show with the help of
Broadway stars Lauren Kennedy and Terrence Mann.
Kennedy starred on Broadway in Les Mis, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Side Show and Sunset Boulevard. She is a graduate of Broughton High School.
Mann is a Tony award winning actor who has starred in numerous Broadway shows. He earned Tony nominations for his portrayal of Javert in Les Mis and his performance in Beauty and the Beast. He is a graduate of the NC School of the Arts.
Les Mis tells the stories of paroled convict Jean Valjean who, failing attempts to find work as an honest man with his yellow parole note, breaks parole and conceals his identity in order to live his life again; the police inspector Javert, who becomes obsessed with finding Valjean; Cosette, who is orphaned and then raised by Valjean; and Enjolras and other students, who are working toward freeing the oppressed lower class of France.
The student production includes a cast of students, an orchestra of students and students working on some of the behind the scenes task. Grimes-Droessler says the students will strengthen their acting skills and benefit academically by working in the show.
“During rehearsal students have to be disciplined to do their home work, learning all their lines and the music,” said Grimes-Droessler. “Its quiet a challenging score. They’re really pushed to meet the highest expectations they could possibly meet. They’ve had to do a lot of research into the background of this work. We know if students participate in the arts, they are going to be ready to face the world and academically, they are going to learn some French literature as well as some history and a myriad of artistic experiences: music, theatre, movement, everything.”
Students say they appreciate the opportunity to work with Broadway talents in a large auditorium helping them to build their resumes as they prepare for college and futures on stage.
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