Les Misérables

June 2016 saw Dundee’s Gardyne Theatre transformed into nineteenth-century France for the High School’s biggest-ever production, Les Misérables. A sell-out run over five performances, the show was a stunning achievement by our cast and crew of incredibly talented pupils.

Head Boy Josh Rawcliffe played Enjolras, the valiant leader of the ill-fated revolution, while Deputy Head Boy Lynden Nicely took on the iconic role of protagonist Jean Valjean. Here they recount their experiences of appearing in the world’s longest-running musical.

Closing night of Les Misérables. Standing in the blazing spotlights, staring into the packed auditorium, hearing the audience roaring their appreciation in our ears. And so ended one of the most successful productions that the High School of Dundee has ever seen. The dramatic tale of love, sorrow, loss and revolution brought us five standing ovations from five performances, not to mention rave reviews and countless bouts of tears. As for the cast of over fifty pupils, the performance will remain the experience of a lifetime for every single one of us.

The opportunity to take part in something as spectacular as Les Mis does not come about often, especially not while surrounded by your closest friends from school. Now, whenever we hear a song from the marvellous musical, we’re moved to a feeling of longing to be back on the stage, singing our hearts out alongside the rest of the equally enthusiastic cast.

The musical highlighted how amazing projects like this are for bringing people together: pupils across year groups, pupils and teachers, even different departments in the School. Drama, Art and Music all played huge parts in putting together the spectacle, with an orchestra made of pupils and teachers, and a fantastic set created by the artists of the School. simple display of acting and singing can give so many pupils a way to express their talents and skills. Many of the actors firmly believe (perhaps with a little bias) that our performance will stand tall amongst School productions for years to come, and set a benchmark for such success in the future.

The pupils at the High School of Dundee display a fantastic range of talents, and the calling in recent years for an extension and nurturing of their creative abilities has become ever more apparent. The new centre of excellence will fully satisfy this calling, with fantastic performance and practice spaces for Music and Drama, and of course a state-of-the-art auditorium. The idea that in a few years’ time pupils could be putting on shows like Les Mis on our very own stage is hugely exciting for the School, the teachers, and most importantly the pupils who will get the chance to utilise this amazing opportunity.

We should of course cherish the success of our production in June, and celebrate the wide range of talent, but also look to the future and think: How on earth are we going to top that? The answer is simple; the facilities of the new centre and the creative hub formed by having departments such as Music, Art and Drama in such close proximity will give pupils the opportunity to perform to this level year upon year, and make every School show as unforgettable as Les Misérables.