Yesterday, the James Bowie Starlight Theater put on its second performance of “Les Misérables.” This is the theater’s first musical production of the year, performed by over 200 students in various roles, ranging from ensemble to lead and technical positions.
“Even before I got my role, when the musical was announced, I started listening to the soundtrack, just instead of my regular music every day, for instance, whenever I would drive to school, I would just listen to the soundtrack, so that, just in case I did get a role, I would already know the stuff,” Senior Olivia Nanda said. “And then we did callbacks, and then I got Eponine, and I already knew all of her stuff because of the soundtrack. So that was really awesome. So whenever we got the rehearsal music, I could just rehearse with what I knew, and then with our vocal teacher, I bettered myself from just already knowing all the stuff perfectly.”
Between in-school hours and after school, students donate most of their day to rehearsing and preparing for opening night. Preparation starts in the fall and gives students around 3 months before opening night.
“We would practice Monday to Friday until 6:45 starting in November, and workdays are from 9:00am to 5:00pm on Saturdays,” Nanda said. “Then, in January, during technical rehearsals, we usually go until 7:30, sometimes later. The process of prepping is about 2 months of regular rehearsals, starting with learning the music and practicing all our different parts and learning choreography if there is any.”
Annually, the fall musical is selected by Starlight Theatre Company (STC) director Marco Bazan after several eliminations. Bazan is the head director at Bowie and is in charge of leading the entire theater program and casting roles such as the ones in Les Misérables.
“I was cast as Jean Valjean, and playing him is a challenge,” Senior Aidan Schexnaydre said. “He is in almost every song of the show. He doesn’t have a lot of solos, but he comes into each song and sings a little bit. His role is very endurance-heavy, and being able to go on and sing for two and a half hours straight is really hard. It’s also a musical that is completely sung through, so you can’t rest while speaking as you’re singing the whole show.”
In comparison to other productions, Les Misérables is accompanied by live music performed by the Bowie Band and Orchestra. Both programs perform on stage with the actors and play throughout the entire show.
“We spend a lot of time running through bits that we’re unsure of, especially with the band,” Nanda said. “It’s definitely harder to rehearse some days with the tracks and then rehearse some days with the band, because of how different it sounds due to all the instruments we need with the live orchestra.”
The show is set to have 8 performances from the end of January to the beginning of February. The show will alternate between two different casts until February 1st, and immediately after, Starlight Theater Company will begin preparing for its next show.
“This show has been different in so many ways, it’s such a unique show and the most difficult one I have ever done by far but it has also been the most rewarding emotional joint and payoff by a long shot,” Senior Brandon Beeler said “I continue to audition because the chance to show people art like this in times like these is more important than ever.
