Les Misérables

Schedule & Audition Information

REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

Rehearsals will take place July 11 - September 2 on Tuesdays and Thursdays (6-10pm), and Sundays (3-10pm) There are additional evening rehearsals during tech week.

Most rehearsals take place at Lancaster Alliance Church.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Performances will take place from September 3-26 on Thursdays (7pm), Fridays (7pm), Saturdays (2pm & 7pm), and Sundays (2pm & 7pm) possibly extending to add performances September 30 - October 3.

CASTING

We are looking for strong singers and actors to tell this powerful story. We anticipate casting understudies for each role, or swings to cover multiple roles, with the goal to have each understudy/swing perform at least once. Small stipends will be available for some featured roles. Ensemble roles will be volunteer.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

NOTE: Character age range is approximate and meant to convey the stage playing age or how the character should look, not the actual age of the performer. Performers of ALL ethnicities will be considered for ALL roles; casting is not color specific.

Principal Male Roles

Jean Valjean | Male | Age: 30s-50s | G#2-B4
The protagonist; a former prisoner (24601) who breaks parole to build a new life of dignity and compassion. Valjean should appear physically bigger than all others. He cares for others as he works to keep ahead of his past. A powerful figure, with a character of operatic size and passion. Intimacy/Violence. Note: The role of Jean Valjean is extremely physically and vocally demanding.

Javert | Male | Age: 30s-50s | F2-G4
The antagonist; the ultimate “law and order” figure, he is focused on upholding the law and does not believe people are capable of change. He is a dedicated policeman with a profound sense of duty and a deep faith. He pursues Valjean obsessively in search of “justice” and must exhibit both rigidity and expressiveness. He is stern, forbidding and lacking in compassion. Actor must be a strong singer with enough vocal energy and presence to match Valjean. Violence. 

Marius | Male | Age: 18-25 | A2-Ab4
A passionate, impulsive, and headstrong young student and revolutionary. The romantic hero of the story. He is both sweet and tender while capable of great courage and compassion. Although wealthy, Marius empathizes with the poor. Along with his best friend Enjolras, he helps lead the Student Revolution. Upon sight, he falls instantly in love with Cosette, requiring him to choose between his loyalty to the student uprising and his new love. 

Thénardier | Male | Age: 20s-40s | C2-G4
Thénardier is the true villain of Les Mis. He is the embodiment of evil. That said, he should also possess a wicked sense of humour. He delights in cheating, robbing, defrauding, and blackmailing, and relishes every aspect of his schemes with glee. He is tough, greedy, brutal, lowbrow, crafty, and yet irresistible. He is also the comic relief of the production, though his comedy should be grounded in reality. Requires an excellent comedic actor who can portray a nasty edge. Vocally, the role is not incredibly demanding; a character voice is best.

Enjolras | Male | Age: 20-30 | A2-G#4 
Politically radical and wildly charismatic, Enjolras is the leader of the student uprising against the French government. He is a physically and vocally commanding presence. He combines his revolutionary ideals with inspirational leadership, ultimately encouraging the men at the barricades to die for their beliefs. He believes that thought must be matched by action, and he subsequently sacrifices his life for the ideals of “Liberte, Egalite, et Fraternite”. Valiantly fights and dies onstage.

Principal Female Roles

Éponine | Female | Age: 18-25 | F3-E5 
The Thénardiers’ tough, street-smart, lovesick daughter. Living hand to mouth, she survives by helping her father in his life of crimes. Very unlike her parents, she helps Marius and the student revolutionaries. Eponine sings one of the most famous numbers in the show, “On My Own”. This actor should be an excellent actor and singer with a contemporary vocal edge. She wears her heart on her sleeve and dies onstage at the barricades in the arms of her (unrequited) love.

Fantine | Female | Age: 20s-30s | F3-Eb5 
Fantine is the beautiful, young girl who, abandoned by her lover, is left to fend for herself and her daughter, Cosette. She is rejected by society and forced through circumstances to sell herself. She is a brave woman defeated by life who clings to her dignity. Requires a performer with a powerful voice mezzo voice.

Cosette | Female | Age: 18-25 | Bb3-C6 
Fantine’s strong-willed, devoted daughter. Intelligent, kind, and naive, she lives a comfortable and secluded life with her adoptive father, Jean Valjean. She falls instantly in love with Marius, changing her life and focus. The role calls for a singer with a lyrical soprano voice.

Madame Thénardier | Female | Age: 30s-50s | G#3-D5 
Wife of Thénardier. They are partners in crime. She is corrupt, coarse, boorish, greedy, manipulative, evil, and larger than life. She is mean and nasty to Little Cosette. The role calls for an actress with excellent physical comedy skills who is also a good musician with a good sense of rhythm.

Youth Roles

Gavroche | Male | Age: 10-13 | B3-G5 
Thenardier’s son, Gavroche is a brave, witty and sometimes arrogant streetwise urchin who acts as the eyes and ears of the streets. He joins the student rebellion and valiantly dies onstage fighting for the cause. Actor must have strong stage confidence and vocal projection. 

Young Cosette | Female | | Age: 8-12 | A3-C5 
Fantine’s daughter and the Thénardiers’ ward, forced into child labor. A timid yet hopeful child who is mistreated until Valjean rescues her and raises her as his daughter. Young Cosette must appear physically small and innocent. This actor sings “Castle On A Cloud”.

Young Éponine | Female | | Age: 8-12 | Non-Speaking 
Young Eponine is the pampered daughter of the Thénardiers. She taunts Young Cosette. The role requires no singing or speaking.

Featured Ensemble Roles

The Bishop of Digne | Male | Age: 50s+ | A2-E4 
A compassionate religious man who sees past the convict and offers Valjean food, shelter, and a new beginning. His kindness establishes the premise of the show. Strong baritone.

The Foreman | Male | Age: 20s-50s | D3-D4
A commanding, predatory man who runs the factory and fires Fantine.

Bamatabois | Male | Age: 20s-40s | D3-D5 A dangerous upper-class man who believes it his right to have whatever he wants, including Fantine. Resorts to threats and physical violence. 

The Students | Male | Age: 18-30 | D3-G4

Named Students: Combeferre, Feuilly, Courfeyrac, Grantaire, Joly, Lesgles, Jean Prouvairre.
All are members of the ABC, a secret society of students committed to freedom and social justice. They are youthful, passionate, young men who rise at the barricades and die at the barricades. 

Thénardier’s Gang | Male | Age: 20+ | B3-C#4

Named Members: Montparnasse, Brujon, Babet, Claquesous
A group of Paris thieves and criminals who work with Thénardier to rob and exhort other Parisians.

Ensemble

Includes Convicts, Wardens, Constables, Peasants, Factory Workers, Sailors, Working Girls, Inn Patrons, Revolutionaries, Wedding Guests, and other vital characters that create the tapestry of 19th-century Paris. Versatility and powerful choral singing are essential.