It is hard to say what I felt as I sat watching the last
performance of
Les Misérables
. Awe; admiration;
complete pride; exhaustion; and utter belief in the
importance of what we do as a team.
If you didn’t get an opportunity to see the show
then, sadly, you missed out on an incredibly special
performance. These students were some of the most
talented, generous and hard-working people that I have
ever had the pleasure of working alongside and, in that,
I include adult colleagues throughout my working life.
It was that immeasurable quality that made the show
so totally brilliant. Their belief; their commitment; their
evenings and weekends; their passion; their talent;
their performance.
I would like to thank them all for allowing me to be a
part of their brilliant production.
Jo Crook, Director and Head of Performing Arts
Page 18
Les Misérables
We are new to the South Hams and to KEVICC. When
deciding where to move to on our return to the UK,
after spending fifteen years living and working in
France, we chose the South Hams so as to be able to
send our two children to KEVICC. We feel that an Arts
dimension is very important in any child's education,
and that was missing where we lived before. We were
very impressed and enthused by what we read of the
College's reputation for excellence in the Performing
Arts. It's very different from the lack of status given to
the Arts in the schools our children went to in France.
There, there were no Performing Arts opportunities
thrown open to any student – you had to be studying
drama (or circus, in our town) to be involved, and the
schools barely spared a glance for art and music. All
work and no play...
Since our arrival at the beginning of September, our
children have both had wonderful opportunities to
make music and be creative in all sorts of ways, from
practical music lessons to showcases at Parents'
Evenings, and from the Christmas concerts to the joy
of performing, just recently, in 'Les Mis'. We saw the
last show on the Saturday evening, and the energy of
the performing was tremendous. The investment on
the part of students and staff alike was fantastic. The
production was very high quality, carrying the audience
with it as the scenes of the story unfolded, tragic and
comic by turns. The performers all gave 110%. As the
French say, “Chapeau!” (Hats off) – to them all!
We loved the way that not all the performers were doing
'Performing Arts' subjects. There were future scientists
and historians and linguists amongst them, all
adding that magical third dimension to their learning
experience. A study some years ago in France showed,
indisputably, that a sample group of trainee doctors
who had followed a compulsory Arts course of some
sort during their training had much better bedside
manners, and diagnostic abilities, than their 'two-
dimensional' colleagues. The artistic training enabled
them to think out of the box.
It was a brilliant idea to show what former KEVICC
students, performers in a previous production of
Les Mis, have done with their lives. So many of them
currently use their Performing Arts experience directly
in the way they earn their living. In terms of preparation
for so many adult life and work experiences, confident
performance and role play can take you to a different
level of achievement and satisfaction, whether it's
putting on events, chairing meetings, giving lectures,
teaching? The possibilites are endless... But what if
things don't go so well for you at some point in your
adult life? We live in uncertain times. What happens if
you are out of work and struggling to find the optimism
and energy to seek out a new direction in your life?
Well, if you love acting, dancing and/or playing music
you can be creative, with other people, and keep a
sense of purpose and conviviality in your life, which
might otherwise become very lonely. Whatever life
throws at you, a history of Performing Arts experiences
is an excellent aid to succeeding.
And where's the best place for our children to find the
opportunity to develop these creative skills to build on
through their lives?
At school. Thank you KEVICC.
Sarah Mackay, Parent
I just wanted to add another recognition, alongside
many others, of the outstanding production of Les
Miserables that my family saw. From the details of the
costumes, set design and props to the electric sound
effects and incrediblemusicianship, there was evidence
of a commitment and practice that may have been
exhausting in the preparation, but was effective and
convincing in the delivery. The imaginative, doubtless
challenging, use of understudies pays further credit
to the team and its directors. And such a professional
collaboration was a demonstration of the ultimate skill
of good teachers – transmiting confidence to discover
potential and to expand abilities. Nigel Clark, Governor
If it had been up to me, there's no way I would have
taken on the beast of a musical that is
Les Miserables
for a school production - why something so difficult,
without a single word of spoken dialogue, with tragedy
and loss by the bucket load? It's just as well that the
decision wasn't up to me: I was BLOWN AWAY by what
your students and staff achieved. The talent I saw that
night was insane. Here were a body of students out,
standing tall and proud, and saying 'this is me doing
my best' and going for it; some students who weren't
even doing drama, singing like professionals. I was
so incredibly moved by their passion, hard work and
talent; it reminded me why a school like this is so great.
Please make sure that productions like this, and the
departments from which they come, are always given
the support and funding that they so deserve.
Ellen Jones, Parent and former KEVICC teacher
Dear Cast, Crew, and Musicians.. You must now know
how utterly amazing your production of 'Les Mis' has
been. You have touched the lives of people in ways
that you cannot begin to imagine, creating lifelong
memories for hundreds of people that will be shared
with families and friends for years to come. For this, I
thank each and every one of you. In the future, when
anyone doubts you and life is hard, remember 'I was in
Les Mis and I am brilliant.' I saw you in 'Les Mis' and
you were brilliant.
A member of the audience
