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This year, Wellington College’s annual whole school musical is Les Misérables, School Edition. It will be performed over three nights from Wednesday 7 to Friday 9 February in the G.W.A. Performing Arts Centre. Tickets are priced from £5 with all profits going to the Wellington College Arts Fund.
For the first time, Wellington is also putting on a schools’ matinee on Tuesday 6 February where pupils from local schools are invited to come and watch the second dress rehearsal.
The sixty-strong cast is taken from all school years, from the Third Form to the Upper Sixth, with other pupils acting as deputy stage managers and running the technical, make-up and costume elements. The ambitious production, which started rehearsals in September, features a revolving stage operated by a pupil.
Pupil Toby H who is playing Marius says, “I can safely say that these last five months have been some of the most enjoyable in all of my time at Wellington. I’ve absolutely loved being able to play Marius and work on the part with the incredible creative team and cast that we’ve had for the show this year. It has been such a privilege to end my time in the Wellington Drama Department with my dream production, so I hope you enjoy it just as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it on.”
The choice of Les Misérables came from a pupil vote organised by Wellington’s drama prefects. The iconic musical tells the story of Jean Valjean, a former convict who spends a lifetime seeking redemption. Victor Hugo’s revolutionary novel is brought blazingly to life through famous songs like I Dreamed a Dream, On My Own, and Bring Him Home.
Director of Drama, Nick Huntington said, “To put on a production of Les Misérables, School Edition feels like a celebration of classic musical theatre. We hope our audiences love the fantastic music and well-loved songs as much as our pupils have loved rehearsing them. I’m delighted that we have so many pupils working backstage and behind the scenes as well as acting and singing. We’re expecting to sell out over three nights and raise a significant amount of money for the Arts Fund.”
Since its inception, £80,000 has been raised for Wellington College Arts Fund. The funds raised have been made available to over 70 local schools as grants of up to £1,000, to aid their own arts education.
