The truth that once was spoken:

It has been my great joy and privilege to work with the students, colleagues and parents to stage this astonishingly beautiful work and bring it to life.

A cast of over 100 students, the youngest of whom was in Year 4, and a crew of over 30 spent innumerable hours learning the score and developing each scene of a long and complex piece of theatre. The story comes for a portion of Victor Hugo’s of the same name, the much-loved complex story of Jean Valjean, Fantine, Javert, Marius, Cosette, Eponine and the students of the ABC Café. It is a tale that spans decades of French history and a lifetime of human experience that is for all the ages.

There are many reasons why undertaking such a demanding task as Music Theatre is a marvellous educative exercise. Despite the obvious distractions the Musical is so important for all involved for a variety of reasons: i. It develops creativity – each student works hard to perfect their own capacity ii. It rewards resilience and endurance – seeing the work through to the end is a triumph in itself iii. It stretches self-belief – numerous cast members had no idea how marvellous they are and how much more they can be than they ever thought possible iv. It binds the community together – friendships are formed across year groups, across usual social settings, and even across interest groups v. It delights the audience – the vibe of joyous families at the end of each show is immensely rewarding for me as the Director vi. It offers an opportunity to ponder some big ideas – Les Mis is laden with profound themes of life and death, hate and forgiveness, love and rejection, justice and grace vii. It is a truly whole of School event – musicians, actors, craftspeople, singers, technical experts, families and parents all combine to do something beautiful viii. It is respite care for me – relief from my “day (and night) job” is a gift. Connection with the students is one of the joys of my role and the Musical provided this in abundance

Our hearts are thankful for the experience. It has brought the community together in a very special manner, much as any large scale multi-age experience will do when they are done well. The Musical is now but a memory. Yet the themes we tried to portray shall endure – that love triumphs over hate, even if it takes a lifetime. Thank you to over 4000 people who came to watch the show. Thank you to all who made it possible.

Victor Hugo, captures the essence of the story and perhaps sets us a life-long challenge: “To love another person is to see the face of God’.

In the next edition of The Barker, we will mark the departure of two remarkable servants of the School. Their contribution will stand as a monument to our motto: Peace

Phillip Heath AM Head of Barker College