Les MisERABLES

By Samantha DePriest

If you were lucky enough to get tickets to watch the Roaring Dramatics rendition of “Les Miserables” last weekend, than you know what an incredible performance it was! All four nights of performances sold out in both General Admission and the VIP seating. It was a show of all shows and one that will go down in the memory books as one of the greatest Trinity Christian School has ever produced.

Director Mrs. Lizzie Perez shares, “What an absolutely honor to spend my first full year at TCS with the most talented and passionate students and parents I have ever met. Last year when we worked together for Beauty and the Beast, Mr. Zarlenga and I looked at each other and knew we had the talent to pull off this incredible show. To that point, they have completely exceeded every expectation - from their talent, to their preparation, their hard work, and more importantly their heart.

This story comes with so much hope amidst the darkness of this world. Through out we meet and fall in love with characters wrestling and struggling with this idea of, “climbing to the light” smack in the middle of consuming darkness.”

Mrs. Perez goes on to share, “If we are honest, in this world we are all The Poor Ones without Christ. Like Fantine we are all searching for anyhing that can solve our problems or fill the void in our lives. Like the Thenardiers, we search for ways where can come out on top, no matter the cost. Like Eponine, we long for things that cannot be and forge any way to make those dreams a reality. LIke Javert even, we hold tighjt on the black and white of this world, gripping to what we can control and losing all sense of reality. And like Valjean, we ALL fall short and listen to the voices that tell us who we are labels as, instead of what we are called to be.

We are all climbing to the light, the true and lasting Light, and thank God hHe sent His Son to save us.

I think it is safe to say directing Les Miserables has changed my life for the better. When, like our main character Valjean, you come face to face with grace in your life, my prayer is that you would chose to grasp hold of that grace, not your accomplishments, and cling to the true freedom found only in love.”

From cast to crew and front of house experience, there were 65 incredible students and dozens of devoted parents and staff involved with make up, hair, choreography, VIP experience, backstage crew, technical elements, and actors!

Students auditioned right before Thanksgiving break last year and had a couple of weeks of rehearsal in the Fall. The productions took just over 12 weeks to prepare for. Our Roaring Dramatics received generous support and encouragement from The Logos Theatre, founded by Gabe Rivera’s grandparents and now run by his aunt and uncle.

Mrs. Perez is grateful to ALL staff and parents that gave of their time in addition to their day to day roles: TCS Staff. Nicholas Yeakley, Thomas Schatzberg, Chris Litton, Dale Zarlenga, Kiley Huddleston, Jenn Duncan, and TCS parents Amber Poelman, Lisa Wootten, and Clark and Ashley Johnson. A very special thanks also to Jennifer Cook painting the sets and to Mark Cannon for building the sets!  The cast and crew are beyond thankful to photographers and videographer’s Shannon Dallas, Oscar Camejo, and Evan Davison for capturing the events in photos and videos.. And Mrs. Perez is so very proud of senior student Michelina Ryan for her choreography of the entire show!

Mrs. Perez shares, “One of the best and most impactful parts of this show are the conversations our students are starting to have after experiencing Les Mis. Leaning into grace and really wrestling with times when they, like Javert, have been so hard nosed and open to the idea of the TRUE freedom found in the Love of Christ.”

TCS Head of School Dr. Anthony attended three out of four performances and was truly inspired. He shared at the end of the performances a vision for a brand new Performing Arts space for our school. We can’t wait to see what God does in the years to come and have faith that it will far surpass anything we could even imagine.

In closing, Mrs. Perez shares “Thank you to all who made this story come to life, from actors to tech, to the experience of the patrons!”