Courtesy of the production
Eagan High School Les Mis Production
When faced with the possibility of cancelling Eagan High School’s fall musical entirely, director Jodene Wartman knew the only answer was to pivot entirely to a concert version of Les Miserables.
“I said that we needed to do Les Mis. This is the only year we’re going to have this combination of kids here that have the voices for it,” Wartman said.
Beginning December 12, audiences will be able to stream Eagan High School’s production of Les Miserables. The COVID-friendly musical has been staged in a concert setting, allowing for the cast to be socially-distanced at all times.
“We measured out the stage and taped out the dimensions of how many people we can safely out onstage with a safe distance between them,” Wartman said. Wartman and co-director Amy Jo Cherner discovered that they could safely fit 36 students onstage.
Polly Reikowski, principal of Eagan High School, supported the production, and worked with the directors to ensure that the show would be as safe as possible. They drew inspiration from the concert versions of Les Miserable that had been staged for its 10th and 25th anniversaries.
“I was really worried that we weren’t going to be able to pull it off,” said Graham Zemke, a senior in the cast who plays Jean Valjean. They managed to put the production together in just under two months. “The rehearsal process didn’t feel rushed, but looking back on it, it really was.”
The students involved agreed to quarantine outside of school and rehearsal. “It took a real commitment from the students, because they had to stay safe. Not just the kids and the directors, but their families too,” Reikowski said. “It’s a real tribute to the kids and the directors that they were able to make this happen.”
Kevin Kodalen, a senior, said he was nervous at first to come to rehearsal for fear of getting his family sick, but relaxed once he realized all the precautions that would be in place. The students were double masked, kept in small groups and constantly stayed six to 12 feet apart. They also did a lot of vocal rehearsal over zoom.
Kodalen, who plays Enjorlas, noted that although there were some frustrating moments in the beginning, the cast quickly fell into a rhythm with each other. “When I’d have lines to other characters, I couldn’t look at them. I couldn’t sing and project my voice right at them,” Kodalen said. “So whenever we were not singing, we would constantly be checking in with each other.”
Both students agreed that filming the show without an audience was a strange experience. “With an audience, you feed off their energy and you’re used to applause and laughter,” Zemke said. “You don’t get any of that when it’s just cameras.”
Due to rising infection rates, the filming was pushed up a week and a half, meaning the student orchestra didn’t have enough time to prepare. Luckily, the production team was able to use an orchestra track from Music Theatre International and the show went on as planned. “I sat in the back of the auditorium and wept,” said Reikowski. “It was that moving. It was just beautiful.”
The directors were able to bring in the parents of the senior cast members to view the show on the last night of filming. “There are six seniors that have been in shows together since third grade, so this is their last show on the Eagan stage forever and we brought their parents in and we socially distanced them behind the cameras,” Wartman said. “They were so grateful. It was really a gift for us.”
Both seniors are excited for people to be able to view their show. “I think it’s a testament to what our high school can achieve. No one thought this would turn out as well as it did,” Zemke said. “If you’re not doing it to watch our talented cast, do it because we proved that we could,”
“Our show really shows the emotion and heart that all of us put into theatre and that theatre gives back to us," Kodalen said. "Being able to experience the community we’ve created here one last time means the world.”
Eagan High School’s production of Les Miserables will be available to stream Dec. 12 through Jan. 27. Tickets are $12 for a single viewing and $25 for a family.
