LES MISERABLES
AUDITION INFORMATION
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO TAKE PART IN THE AUDITION PROCESS FOR
LES MISERABLES
Here at Nardone's Academy, there has never been a better time to be part of the team! Our audition spaces for Les Miserables are limited due to casting requirements, You MUST let us know if you are unable to attend, if this is the case please call us on
01592 377042 where an alternative audition slot may be supplied.
Audition Day
Auditions will be held on Saturday 15th July 2023
Nardone's Academy Studio - 112-114 Main Street, Lochgelly, KY5 9AA
Time Of Auditions
Each auditionee is asked to attend the Audition for 12:00, Please attend with a parent/guardian if you are under the age of 18.
Audition Fee
At Nardone's Academy we require a £20.00 Audition fee - this is non-refundable if you are offered any main/ensemble role within the production, likewise if you are offered a role and decline this or your application is declined, you will not receive a refund.
The Audition Fee is payable in CASH - ON THE DAY UPON ARRIVAL
Rehearsal Fee's
These will be discussed along with Rules & Regulations on the audition day.
What Will Happen On The Day?
On arrival you will meet the creative team and audition panel. You will participate in a short movement and acting workshop, this will be prepared for you. All participants will be required to sing during the audition. If you’re auditioning for a principal role please prepare the songs for both of the characters you're auditioning for. If you’re auditioning to be a part of the Ensemble please familiarize yourself with the songs detailed in that section of the audition material.
All cast members will be required to fill in mandatory paperwork, this must be completed on the audition day to be considered during the casting process.
If this is not completed, unfortunately your application will be declined.
What Should I Bring/Wear?
Please wear clothes suitable for dancing in.
THERE IS A STRICT NO JEANS POLICY THROUGHOUT THE ACADEMY AS THIS LIMITS YOUR MOVEMENT DURING THE AUDITION.
Please bring water for during the audition and a snack as everyone will have a cool down period during this time.
Audition Material:
Please use the link below for the script, to prepare for your acting piece.
Les Miserables 2022 Musical Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7xUyZQ1-3k
Character Breakdown
Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean is the hero of the show. It is his life journey that we follow. Jean Valjean is supposed to be stronger than other men, and so he should physically appear robust. He should carry himself confidently onstage and come across to the audience as reasonably mature and paternal. Valjean’s capacity for change is his greatest asset throughout the story. The key to his character is his great humanity and compassion. Jean Valjean is a vocally demanding role, so cast your best male singer and actor.
Audition Song: “Bring Him Home”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikpw6c2-Ti8
Gender: Male
Javert
Javert is the inspector who serves as antagonist to Jean Valjean. Javert is unswerving in his belief that men cannot change for the better. "Once a thief, always a thief" is his mantra. At first glance, Javert might appear to be the villain of the story, but upon closer examination, it is clear that he is not an evil man. He is a dedicated policeman with a profoundly strong sense of duty. Unlike Valjean, Javert's attitudes are rigid and unmovable. He is stern, forbidding, and lacking in compassion. Your Javert should be a talented actor who can convincingly stand up to Jean Valjean. Javert should have a rich baritone voice and be a good singer.
Audition Song: “Stars”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oMoHsb3UAo
Gender: Male
Bishop Of Digne
The Bishop is a good man who saves Valjean’s soul through showing compassion. Don’t overlook the importance of this role. The Bishop of Digne’s kindness carefully establishes the premise of the show by literally buying Jean Valjean’s soul for God. This powerful role requires a nice baritone voice and a good actor.
Audition Song: “ABC Cafe”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTKUUwE-Mik&list=PLylzvkvMpM9Md0Qxjgri2GuRKvhDDlmIp&index=20
Gender: Male
Fantine
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 and is sustained by her love for her daughter, sacrificing everything for the young Cosette. The audience witnesses her descent through a series of terrible events leading to poverty, hunger, cold, loneliness, destitution, and death from consumption. Cast a performer with a powerful voice that is more mezzo (or alto) than soprano.
Audition Song: “I Dreamed a Dream”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zVpzQ3Hm6s&list=PLylzvkvMpM9Md0Qxjgri2GuRKvhDDlmIp&index=7
Gender: Female
Little Cosette
Young Cosette is Fantine’s daughter and the Thénardiers’ ward. She has been forced into child labor. She is underfed, beaten by Madame Thénardier, and bullied by Eponine. Make sure your Young Cosette is small and looks properly pathetic yet warms the audience’s hearts. They should be sympathetic to her plight. It is essential that your Young Cosette be as physically small as possible, especially against Jean Valjean and the Thénardiers. Young Cosette sings “Castle On A Cloud,” so make sure she has a nice voice and can tap into the emotion in the song.
Audition Song: “Castle on the Cloud”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1KrroMOYh4&list=PLylzvkvMpM9Md0Qxjgri2GuRKvhDDlmIp&index=12
Gender: Female
Madame Thénardier
She is married to Thénardier. Together, Madame Thénardier and Thénardier con the world as partners in crime. They were made for each other, and although she complains about him, she loves him dearly. She is coarse and vulgar, unhappy in her existence without knowing why. She is romantic, greedy, manipulative, evil, and larger than life. She is mean and nasty to Little Cosette and able to improvise in nearly any situation. You need an actress with excellent physical comedy skills who is also a good musician with a good sense of rhythm.
Audition Song: “Innkeeper's Song/Master of the House”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEUS1w9kTz4&list=PLylzvkvMpM9Md0Qxjgri2GuRKvhDDlmIp&index=13
Gender: Female
Thénardier
Thénardier is the true villain of Les Misérables School Edition . He is the embodiment of evil. That said, he should also possess a wicked sense of humor. 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 hates society and blames it and everyone else for all his misfortune. Thénardier is also the opportunist and realist of the show. He is a thief, a liar, a cheat, and steals valuables from the dead with no remorse. He is also the comic relief of the production. However, his comedy is based in reality and shouldn’t be too exaggerated. He is married to Madame Thénardier and is father to Eponine and Gavroche (although he abandoned Gavroche to the streets of Paris). Cast an excellent comedic actor who can portray a nasty edge. Vocally, the role is not incredibly demanding; a character voice is best.
Audition Song: “Innkeeper's Song/Master of the House”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEUS1w9kTz4&list=PLylzvkvMpM9Md0Qxjgri2GuRKvhDDlmIp&index=13
Gender: Male
Young Eponine
Young Eponine is the pampered daughter of the Thénardiers. She does little except taunt Young Cosette. The role requires no singing or speaking. She should be a smaller version of grown Eponine and resemble Eponine in appearance and features.
No Audition Song - Learn Ensemble Numbers
Gender: Female
Gavroche
Gavroche is Thénardier’s son. He is left to fend for himself and lives by his wits in the streets of Paris. His archenemy is Javert, the policeman. Gavroche is brave, witty, and arrogant, with a fantastic, unchanged voice. For comparison, think of a young Artful Dodger. Gavroche is best played by the smallest boy available. Gavroche has a very dramatic death at the barricade. Make sure your Gavroche is a good enough actor to believably die onstage.
Audition Song: “The Beggars”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozp0LBUFq24&list=PLylzvkvMpM9Md0Qxjgri2GuRKvhDDlmIp&index=17
Gender: Male
Eponine
Eponine is the Thénardiers’ daughter. Living hand to mouth, she survives by helping her father in his life of crime. She is a young girl who is streetwise and tough but also sensitive and lonely. This tragic character is hopelessly in love with Marius, knowing that he will never love her. She bravely follows Marius to the barricades in the hope that they will die there together. She sings one of the most famous numbers in the show, “On My Own,” and should be an excellent actress and singer with a contemporary edge to her voice.
Audition Song: “On My Own”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEF_X8tiSp0&list=PLylzvkvMpM9Md0Qxjgri2GuRKvhDDlmIp&index=23
Gender: Female
Enjolras
Enjolras is the student leader. He is handsome, brave, and daring, although youthful. He combines his revolutionary ideals with strong, charismatic leadership. Victor Hugo described him as “a thinker and a man of action.” On the barricade, he should dominate everyone else physically and vocally. Enjolras is one of the more difficult roles to cast. He should be a natural leader oozing with charisma and have a very strong high baritone or a tenor voice. The role is also difficult to cast because many young actors do not perceive it as a coveted role like Marius or Jean Valjean; remind them that the original Enjolras won a Tony Award® for his performance. Casting a true leader from your organization in this role is one way to ensure the character is believable. Remember, Enjolras must inspire the students to fight and, ultimately, to die for their beliefs. His death at the barricade is one of the dramatic highlights of the show.
Audition Song: “ABC Cafe”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTKUUwE-Mik&list=PLylzvkvMpM9Md0Qxjgri2GuRKvhDDlmIp&index=20
Gender: Male
Marius
Marius is the romantic hero of the story. He is impulsive, passionate, willful, and headstrong. His moods change according to his circumstances. He is sweet and tender but also capable of great courage and compassion. In Act I, Marius plays Romeo to Cosette’s Juliet. Marius matures after “The Café Song” as a result of his experiences on the barricade. Marius should have a lovely, lyrical voice with a contemporary edge.
Audition Song: “The Cafe Song/Empty Chairs at Empty Tables”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1Cs_2KO6sk&list=PLylzvkvMpM9Md0Qxjgri2GuRKvhDDlmIp&index=37
Gender: Male
Cosette
Cosette is Fantine’s strong-willed, loving daughter. She is an intelligent, inquiring, personable girl; she is not in any sense a sappy, romantic heroine. Once she is adopted by Jean Valjean, Cosette lives a comfortable, if secluded, life. She falls instantly in love with Marius, changing her world and her priorities. The role calls for an excellent singer with a lovely, lyrical soprano voice.
Audition Song: “In My Life/Rue Plummet”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXiTPXh6Vlc&list=PLylzvkvMpM9Md0Qxjgri2GuRKvhDDlmIp&index=21
Gender: Female
Various Other Roles:
Chain Gang Members,
Constables,
Farmer,
Labourer,
Foreman,
Factory Workers,
Prostitutes,
Sailors,
Bamatabois Boys,
Nuns,
Gavroche’s Gang,
Thieves,
Officers.
Company Numbers for Ensemble Auditions:
“One Day More and At the End of the Day”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qe-0cK9Fjc&list=PLylzvkvMpM9Md0Qxjgri2GuRKvhDDlmIp&index=24
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1FmUkXdxe4&list=PLylzvkvMpM9Md0Qxjgri2GuRKvhDDlmIp&index=4
Link To Script:
https://issuu.com/mtieurope/docs/lmse_2016_libvb?e=32231290/65643086
Contact Information
IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS YOUR APPLICATION, PLEASE CONTACT A MEMBER OF THE TEAM ON 01592 377042
OR EMAIL US AT NARDONESACADEMY.PA@HOTMAIL.COM
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