Behind Les Miserables

   

      At the end of the day, each one is a day older. Will you join their crusade and make a difference?

   “Knowing that our earnings are going to charity made me feel good about what we’re doing as performers,” shared Peter Clark Guisadio.

   Guisadio, who has always been passionate about singing, played as Marius, a student rebel, on the 1832 The Musicale, the adaptation of Creative Thespians Club, Inc. (CTC) of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables.

   After spending more than a year of planning and months of preparation, 1832 The Musicale took on stage on September of last year at the Rudolf Rahmann Cultural Center in the University of San Carlos South Campus, jumpstarting a crusade that coincides with the CTC members’ passion.

   According to Mary Immaculate Aringay, the business manager then of CTC, the first to prepare are the materials. It was difficult to acquire the music and libretto. They had to research on the story itself and looked for videos, critiques and reviews. Finding, training and developing talents came next.

HE SAID

   “Back in March, a friend told me about the play and suggested that I audition for a part. I went for it and was accepted but my role was not Marius yet. I was supposed to play as Combeffere, another rebel student,” said Guisadio, the 18-year old Computer Science student in Cebu Institute of Technology University.

   He shared that it was his first time on a stage play although he has been into music and performance since he was young---he just never really had the guts. It was when he was 14 that he began singing in public.

   “I was given the role as Marius when we started rehearsing a scene with Cosette (Marius’ lover). I tried singing Marius’ lines and when they heard me, they made me an alternate,” explained Guisadio.

   Guisadio also shared that when they started rehearsing for the production, he was very nervous and unsure of himself so he started asking advice from people who are experienced in theater.

SHE SAID

   This was also experienced by Joanna Jane Ang, who played Eponine, Marius’ character secret lover.

     “I attended a few workshops and asked for tons of advices from more experienced people. I read some facts about Eponine and tried recalling all my experiences that are quite similar to hers,” explained Ang, the 21-year old registered nurse.

   Ang, who has been singing in public since she was eight, shared that she joined theater in 2009 and became part of two stage plays prior to 1832 The Musicale. With that experience, she still felt pressured in her role.

   “It's such a great honor to have been given the chance to play as Eponine because ever since I've known about Les Miserables, this is really the role I want to play. I kind of feel pressured too cause Lea Salonga really set the bar way too high and I feared I might not give justice to the songs,” she related.

ON CTC AS FAMILY

   With the preparations they have made, Aringay considered finances as the biggest challenge for them. According to her Les Miserables is such a big show and not just an ordinary one but CTC, a not for profit and non-stock organization, mainly produced plays for the love of theater.

   Guisadio also shared that there were many challenges they needed to face to made it through. He said that it took him a long time to convince his parents to allow him to join the production. Also, sometime during the rehearsals, people backed out of the production so they have to find more performers.

   With their hope to help the beneficiaries, they worked for the love of it even though they were not paid.

   When asked what it felt working with production, Ang said that the people have grown to be part of her and each of them etched their own mark in the deepest crevices of her heart.

   “In CTC, you see real people. We are like a family,” said Aringay.