Hunger, heat toil! The cast, even when loaded down with stress, still they rehearse!
One more day all on our own. One more day with them not caring.
My lead characters amaze me to no end, don't get me wrong on that. And my heart goes out to the minor characters and choir members who make it a point to go to rehearsal every time, even if they end up not getting any practice 'coz they're never complete. Really guys, thanks.
But I find it alarming that we have never ever been complete during a non-English period rehearsal. And during what was most likely the last opportunity we had to have at least one last run through, barely half the class is there. Only about 3 people made the effort to give me valid reasons why they weren't attending. Freakin' hell, guys! January 24! In case you guys were wondering when that is, it's this coming THURSDAY! Do you guys know how much of a disaster the technical rehearsal was? If, before Tuesday, we're not able to fix the problems we encountered during that rehearsal at the FBA, I don't know how we'll even be worthy to perform on Thursday. It's not enough for the main cast to be as stellar as they are now! Every single person who ever appears on stage is important. Fuck that you don't have any speaking lines. What matters is that you were given a role to play. I know you guys are tired. Everyone is! Maybe you guys are getting tired of Les Mis overload. But you're lucky you don't even have to take the work home! There are some people who, after a grueling night of rehearsal, go home and still have to work on script editing, videos, solos, rehearsal schedules, invitations, getting friends to help with the production, music video planning, working on the cheering, etc. etc, not to mention homework and studying for quizzes and everything else. What can I do now?
Ton told me that the first thing people should know when you want them to work together on something is the purpose of what they're doing. Do you guys know why we're doing this? It's not a cream section must-have-a-major-production-that's-why-we're-doing-it thing. Have you guys noticed how Ms Nanette never tells us what grade component Les Mis belongs to? I believe that she wants us to work for something that may give us nothing but the pride that an amazing show will give. I don't want to think that if Ms Nanette said that this'd be half our Quarterly Exam grade, the whole class would be attending practice every time. The ZdN I know we belong to isn't like that.
I can't speak for everyone, but I can say that the reason why I accepted the director position is 'coz I knew that I would love it. I didn't know much about Les Mis yet at that time but learning made me love it even more. Have you even HEARD songs like Who Am I?, Stars, Bring Him Home, Turning, Red and Black, Drink With Me, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, and the Epilogue? Good Lord, I swear, they're beautiful. And even Les Mis the novel! Do you listen to what the bishop says to Valjean in our play? Have you read Valjean's speech at Champmathieu's trial? "They were right in telling you that Jean Valjean was a wicked wretch. But all the blame may not belong to him. ... The galleys make the galley slave." What about Marius' first love letter to Cosette? "Love partakes of the soul itself. Like it, it is a divine spark; like it, is incorruptible, indivisible, imperishable." Have you witnessed the fire with which the Friends of the ABC speak?
"Citizens, do you picture yourselves the future? The streets of the cities flooded with light, the nations sisters, the men just, the old men blessing the children, the past loving the present, thinkers in full liberty, believers in full equality, for religion the heavens, God priest direct, human conscience become the altar, no more hatred, labor, for all, law, over all, peace, no more bloodshed, no more wars, mothers happy!"
These are words, powerful words, but they can't reach the people that they're supposed to, because not everybody likes to read. It's so much easier to just watch, after all. And nobody but us has control over what the people are going to be watching this Thursday. I want the people to come out of the auditorium knowing the answer to "What can cure the misery in the world?". Love for all things related to English made me accept the director position, but the desire for people to know the answer to that question, and the belief that we could be the ones to let them know is what drove, and still drives, me to continue. So many people believe in us, you know. Me included. Honestly, I didn't know what I was going to do to try and motivate the class to do their best again. Writing was all I could think of. If you didn't have a reason for doing Les Mis before, I hope I've given you one, with all the sentimentality that I can muster.
Honestly, I've no idea how to proceed now. Please, I'm pleading with everyone. Help me do justice to Les Miserables and all the work we have done.
