Les Miserables - King’s High School, Dunedin (New Zealand)

A boys school of 650 students, King’s High School produced Les Miserables with girls from neighbouring Queens High.
Les Miserables is a very daunting prospect from the start. How can you do justice to such an international phenomena?
An orchestra of eighteen (three adults) was assembled, and seventeen staff signed on in various capacities. Talent oozed out of the woodwork.
We opened in our new 350 seat Performing Arts Centre, and four nights later, after four standing ovations (never seen before) from four full houses, we closed.
Is it a good show for a school to attempt? It certainly is! Its best feature is the number of individual singing parts. So many students have a chance to shine. Our on-stage cast numbered 76. Another special aspect was using the original touring costumes, which we were able to hire. Good costuming lifts the feel of the show and all young people love to dress up. The other challenge is the barricade – our Tech and Art departments produced a stunning result; taking up the whole stage and moving so as to slide together. Great visually.
It is stressful to take on such a project – much bigger than we have ever attempted before. The costs are high. But the feeling of satisfaction was immense. The feel-good factor around the school made it really worthwhile.
Performing Arts is growing at King’s High School. There is a major production each year, alternating between the two schools, Drama is being introduced into the curriculum, there is a very strong Kapa Haka group and Polynesian group and the choir is now 54 students strong.
Bryan Frost, Producer

Originally published in the November / December 2008 edition of Stage Whispers