I didn’t really know what I was getting into when I auditioned for Les Misérables. I couldn’t predict the hours of rehearsal I was going to be required to attend, and the amount of energy and focus that would be needed of me. I wouldn’t take back one minute of it. Being a part of Les Misérables (Les Mis, for short) was one of the most valuable things I’ve done in my life at Westgate.
It’s odd to think that the vast majority of our rehearsals took place outside of the theater we performed in, which may sound like a recipe for disaster, but it was far from it. Our cafeteria rehearsals were very productive, and sometimes chaotic (typical for any High School production). I always looked forward to play rehearsals after school. Now that it’s all over, I don’t really know what to do with myself.
Putting on an intense and demanding play like Les Misérables takes a lot of work, and we couldn’t have done it without Mr. Dyck, our director, and Ms. Dirks, our assistant director. Other teachers who helped were Mr. Rempel who led the stage crew, Mr. Pankratz who produced the show, Mrs. Martin who was the stage manager, Mr. Baerg and Mr. Brown who worked on creating the sets, Ms. Epp who helped sell tickets, Ms. Thiessen who led the makeup crew, Mr. Friessen who led the lighting crew, Mr. Brownlee who helped with the sound and the microphones, and Ms. Kroeker and Kathy Pankratz who led the costume crew. Without these amazing people, our play would not have been as good.
I had a lot of fun being a cast member in Les Misérables. From the cafeteria rehearsals, to production week, being a part of Les Misérables was more fun than it was work. While the play itself may be intense and occasionally depressing, there was nothing but positive energy backstage. Thank you to all who helped out, and thank you to all who came to watch. I also thank the rest of the cast for being great; I am so thankful for having been able to act with you guys.
– Thomas (Javert). December 19, 2013
