Canby High Theatre Presents Les Misérables School Edition

Canby High Theatre might well have taken on one of their most challenging performances to date! Presenting “Les Misérables School Edition,” a musical which will have even the most gifted of thespians pushing their boundaries. Guided by CHS Theatre Director Sullivan Mackintosh, students are sure to produce a quality show worth attending (recommended for ages 12 and up).

“Unique among musicals in that it is almost entirely sung, it’s closer to an opera in some ways,” Sullivan points out. Students helped in the selection process of the show and found the music “moving and irresistible, and that learning to sing and act with the emotion needed to tell the story would be a great benefit to their growth as performers,” Sullivan relates.

Set in early 19th-century France, “Les Misérables” follows French peasant Jean Valjean in his quest for redemption after serving 19 years in jail for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister’s starving child. Valjean attempts to help Fantine, an impoverished woman who dies from tuberculosis after being forced to the streets. He is relentlessly pursued by police inspector Javert, even as he seeks a peaceful life in which to raise Fantine’s orphaned daughter, Cosette.

Senior Emmy Sager, performing in only her second show, is “very excited” to be cast as Fantine. With her background in choir and a member of Catalinas for two years, she is well-qualified for the part. Her biggest challenge is “respecting the character and portraying what a lot of women in this time frame had to go through — it’s such a sensitive role.” A full range of students grades 9–12 will be performing over 40 roles. Primary characters played by corresponding student actors include: Jean Valjean by Pryor Stegmeier; Javert by Carson Varner; Fantine by Emmy Sager; Éponine by Laney Wakefield; Marius by Carter Reed; and Cosette by Juliette Mellander.

In addition to the cast assuming and rehearsing their roles, the design team has been hard at work creating and incorporating images from the play’s Broadway productions, as well as their own historical research on 1800s France, implementing the practical and logistical aspects of a CHS production. Members of this talented team include: scenic design by India Stults; costume design by Hayley Lillie and Leo Cera; lighting design by Jay Totten; sound design by Ivy Hartshorn; and props design by Olivia Weber.

This production also marks the return of a live orchestra to accompany the cast for the first time since 2019 with Becky Stager directing the orchestra. Also on staff for the show are Hannah Healey, vocal music director; Jared Jonas, technical director, overseeing design and build process for tech theatre students; and Abigail Marine as costume manager.

Evening performances for “Les Misérables School Edition” start at 7 p.m. on Feb. 27 and 28, and March 6–8. A 2 p.m. matinée is scheduled for March 1. The musical will be performed in the Canby High School Richard R. Brown Fine Arts Center Auditorium. Visit CHS Thespians on Facebook for additional information on this memorable production.

“Les Misérables School Edition” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mti.com