"Meet the Cast of Les Miserables" blog series #10: Jean Valjean!

Charles Dizon Gracy, our Jean Valjean

Charles was educated at Bard College in NY as a drama/dance major and received a B.S. in Theater Education at SSU. He studied voice with Arthur Burrows of The NY Met, dance/acting with Eileen Passloff in the Stanislavski Method, Kate Kohler Amory in the Grotowski Method of Acting, Peter Sampieri for Directing and Theatre History, dance with Jean Churchill of the Boston Ballet, and Albert Reed of the Merce Cunningham Company. Always continuing to hone his craft, Charles currently studies voice with Brett Johnson. Some of his favorite roles include Jerry (The Full Monty), the Baker (Into the Woods), and the Lion (The Wiz). His directing credits include Steel Magnolias, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Chicago, Cinderella, Rent, The Wiz, and Les Misérables Jr.

What was your first experience with Les Misérables?

My first experience with Les Mis was as a middle schooler. I was fascinated with musical theater at that point and began studying with local teachers. Here in Boston, they had a casting call for Young Cosette and Gavroche. One of my theater friends (who was 2 years younger than me) went out and was cast as Gavroche. I remember going into the city to him and was completely mesmerized by the whole thing. I immediately purchased the cast album and t-shirts! I remember purchasing a big t-shirt so I would have it a while. I wore that shirt all over Russia in 1990 when I was an exchange student there!

What has it been like to prepare for your role?

This role has been one of the most challenging—not only to prepare the character, but also to prepare vocally. I find the music more challenging than Into the Woods, which I thought was extremely difficult at the time. Jean Valjean has a complete character arc that the audience needs to buy into, or else the story falls flat. 

What about this production excites you the most?

The sheer talent associated with this production is mind blowing. I can’t wait until we step out on that stage! I think people will be completely blown away. 

How has local theatre and performing enriched your life?

When we started this group we wanted it to be a supportive, friendly, and respectful place. We have gathered together some of the most talented and professional people in the area and their grace and spirit are a blessing each and every day.

Les Miserables Live In Studio

Les Miserables Live In Studio

Check out the great article featuring some of the cast of ACT's Les Miserables Live in the Studio.  October 25-27 at The Collins Center for the Performing Arts Andover Tickets on sale now visit ACT Theater Company

"Meet the Cast of Les Miserables" blog series #9: Meet Gavroche!



Andrew Jones, our Gavroche
My name is Andrew Jones. I am 11 years old and in the 6^th grade at West middle School in Andover. Les Misérables is my 6^th show with ACT.  I previously appeared in Annie (Orphan ensemble), Aladdin, Jr. (Aladdin), Willy Wonka (Oompa Loompa #2 and ensemble), Seussical the Musical (Jojo) and Little Mermaid, Jr. (Prince Eric). At school, I have also appeared inMulan, Jr.(ensemble) and Beauty and the Beast, Jr. (Gaston).  Besides Gavroche, my favorite role so far has been as Jojo is Seussical. I love to perform and I have learned so much and have gained a lot of self-confidence from doing shows with ACT.  I like to do shows with ACT because it feels like being in a movie or a TV show and that is what I would like to do for real someday. When I am not in school or at rehearsal you might find me on the golf course, playing tennis or playing video games.


What was your first experience with Les Misérables?
My first experience with Les Misérables was watching the movie with my mom.  I knew I wanted to be in ACT’s production but I didn’t know anything about the show other than what my mom had explained to me.  We planned a movie night at home and watched it together.  When I saw the movie I knew that I just had to play Gavroche.

What has it been like to prepare for your role?Preparing for the role of Gavroche was easy and it just came naturally to me.  I learned all of my music quickly and was pretty much off-book by my first rehearsal. The role of Gavroche has been fun to create because he is involved in the revolution and gun battle and ever since I was 2 years old I have always loved playing with army guys (the Toy Story green army guys were my favorite!) and creating battles in video games and role playing with Nerf, paintball and airsoft guns.  I like how Gavroche is a little cocky and self-confident because that helps me to act and feel the same way, even when I am not rehearsing.

What about this production excites you most?What excites me most is that from my perspective the rehearsals have been going so well.  Everyone is trying their best to make this a fantastic production and I know that we will all deliver.  Being on stage with so many performers (we have more than 80 in the cast) and such talented principals is electrifying.


How has performing in local theater enriched your life?Performing in local theater has enriched my life because, as I said before, I have gained a lot of self-confidence from doing shows with ACT as well as the shows through my school(s).  Doing theater makes my life a lot more livable because it is so much fun and gives me something to look forward to.  It is like going to a job that I love.  I just love acting and performing and ACT has given me the opportunity to do what I love.


Is there anything else you would like to add?I want to thank Mark and Charles Gracy and the entire production team for selecting me for the role of Gavroche and allowing me to be a part of such an epic show.

"Meet the Cast of Les Miserables" blog series #8: Meet Cosette!

Chantal Desjardins, our Cosette

Chantal is from Haverhill, MA. Last May, she graduated from UMass–Lowell with degree in Communications with a focus in Philosophy and recently became an executive assistant for a company that ships high-valued products all across the country. Part-time, she works at a shoe store to feed her extreme addiction to shoes! Chantal has been in love with theatre since she first went on a stage at 6 years old. She has performed with the North Shore Music Theatre, Emerson Umbrella, Pentucket Players, Colonial Chorus Players, and Anna Smulowitz Productions; this is her first show with ACT Andover. Some of her favorite roles include Peter (Jesus Christ Superstar), Cinderella (Into the Woods), Isabelle (Scrooge), and a Delta Nu (Legally Blonde). When she is not working or on stage, she loves playing with her three-year-old Shih Tzu, Darla (like the Little Rascals character).

What was your first experience with Les Misérables?

After my mom and grandmother went to see a production of Les Mis in Boston, they both fell in love with the show. I was too young to see the show at the time, but one day my mom recorded (on a VHS not DVR!) the PBS showing of the Les Misérables 10th Anniversary Dream Cast. She played the song “Castle on a Cloud” for me over and over. Already knowing I could sing, I think she did this as a way to get me singing something besides the Annie selections she was all too familiar with. As I grew up, I learned to love the entire show, and saw my first live production at Andover High School (coincidentally, the same as Cara Kennedy, who plays Madame Thénardier!).

What has it been like to prepare for your role?

Besides having a minor panic attack that my Mezzo singing voice would have to sing very high Soprano notes, I was very interested in the development of my character. I don’t think audience members get much about who Cosette is, based on what she sings. Spoiler alert?... She lives a very privileged life, falls in love at first sight, and then is one of the only characters in the show to have a “happy ending,.” Unfortunately, that’s about it. I want to make sure I could convey her emotions more deeply, and show some kind of underlying message that you don’t hear, but rather see. I want to make sure I can create a realistic person out of the typical “sheltered, love-struck” woman everyone is used to seeing.  

What about this production excites you the most?

I feel so incredibly lucky to be a part of one of the first companies in the area to perform the full show. I also get to share the stage with some of the most talented people I have worked with before. I think I will be most excited when I see the real barricade for the first time. My favorite scenes are the ones that take place on the barricade, and I think it creates one of the most iconic images in theatre. 

How has local theatre and performing enriched your life?

Musical theatre has helped me feel confident enough to pursue a career in communications. I have been able to develop great speaking skills, as well as being able to interact with the public comfortably. What I love most about being in musicals, however is being able to transform into a totally different person. It’s also great when I get to sing about stuff without being looked at strangely!

"Meet the Cast of Les Miserables" Blog Series #7: Thenardier

Steve Filipiak, our Thénardier

Steve lives in Swampscott. By day he is an Associate Director of Human Resources for Ipsen, a bio-pharmaceutical company.

What was your first experience with Les Misérables?

1988, 10th grade field trip to Boston to see the First National Tour. My teacher tried to tie it to us reading "A Tale of Two Cities", although Les Mis take place about fifty years later. 

What has it been like to prepare for your role?

Surreal. After twenty-five years of rehearsing this show in the shower, I finally get to take it "on stage".

What about this production excites you the most?

Being around 80 other people who have been singing this show in the shower the same amount, if not more, as me. Pretty cool being around that amount of people who are as passionate about this as me.

How has local theatre and performing enriched your life?

It allows me to pursue something I'm passionate about with others who are passionate about the same thing. It is a team sport on stage. Better yet, it gives me an opportunity to show my three boys that it is ok to get up in front of people and sing, dance and act all the while being confident about yourself and who you are.

"Meet the Cast of Les Miserables" Blog Series #6: Marius

Sam Pazicni, our Marius 

Sam is thrilled to make his ACT Theater Company debut as Marius in this wonderful production of Les Misérables. Past favorites with other companies include Hair (Claude), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Pseudolus, Hysterium), Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour), and Sweeney Todd. Ironically, he’s been “More Miserable” in a production of Forbidden Broadway! Sam lives in Portsmouth, NH and puts his theatre chops to good use every day—as a chemistry professor at the University of New Hampshire.

What was your first experience with Les Misérables?

The cassette tape of the Original Broadway Cast in my walk-man! However, the show didn’t become “alive” for me until I watched the 10^th anniversary concert on PBS. This initiated a cascade of events, including reading the Victor Hugo novel, purchasing other soundtracks, and learning to play “Stars” and “On My Own” on the piano!

What has it been like to prepare for your role?

Preparing the role of Marius has been a fulfilling, educational and sometimes overwhelming experience. My last acting experience was back in January 2009 (Young Buddy in Follies with Ann Arbor Civic Theatre); stepping back onto the stage and working my way through Marius’s emotional journey has been challenging. Luckily, I'm surrounded by a group of incredibly talented individuals that are wonderful at helping me through the process and I'm learning a lot about myself and about Marius along the way.

What about this production excites you the most?

Ohmygosh, where do I even begin? First, it would have to be the fact that I’M MARIUS IN LES MIS. Those lyrics I’ve sung my entire adult life (“Black–the color of despair!”, “In my life… she has burst like the music of angles, the light of the sun…”, “There’s a grief that can’t be spoken…”)—I get to sing those in front of a huge audience with a huge orchestra! Ohmygosh! Orchestra!! I’m a total music geek and so my favorite rehearsal in this process is the sitzprobe. I can’t wait for that! Third, I get to punch Steve (who place Thénardier); who wouldn’t be excited by that?!

How has local theatre and performing enriched your life?

I’ve been a bit of a nomad—I grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania, went to graduate school in Madison, Wisconsin, worked in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and currently reside in coastal New Hampshire. So many starts and stops! Fortunately, community theatre has always been there and quickly given me sets of friendships that I continue to cherish to this day.

"Meet the Cast of Les Miserables" Blog Series #5: Eponine

Chelsea Minton, our Éponine

Chelsea last appeared in over 200 performances with the Off Broadway (NYC) and National Tour casts of Girls Night: The Musical (Kate). Prior to that, she graduated from Middlebury College, where she studied history and geography, and did some theater along the way, appearing in her Gypsy (June), Urinetown (Little Sally), and her personal favorite, Lippa's Wild Party (Queenie). Other favorite roles include: Seussical (Gertrude), Les Misérables (Cosette), Kiss me Kate (Lois), and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator). In "real-life", Chelsea works as a geospatial consultant. With her background in GIS and cartography, she now works with a Google-partner tech startup called IRISMaps, which implements and develops mapping solutions using Google Maps for Business. As soon as there is any (literally, ANY) snow on the ground in New England, there is a very good chance Chelsea will be found high-tailing it from her desk at the office up to Vermont to ski. Until then, she will continue "breaking in her ski boots" in her apartment in Boston (and driving her downstairs neighbors crazy). That's not weird, is it?

What was your first experience with Les Misérables?

Les Misérables was the second cassette tape I ever got (after CATS). My parents may have regretted that present, because I learned all the songs by heart and my little sister and I, at ages 7 and 9, started using "Do You Hear the People Sing" as our go-to harmony performance/ bbq/singing-around-the-house piece. Not quite sure what revolution we were trying to stage at that age, but the love for the music in this show definitely stuck. My sister's favorite part of Les Mis, she will still say, are the trumpets in that song. We are total Les Mis dorks!

What has it been like to prepare for your role?

Éponine is a totally exciting part, so I'm really thrilled to get the chance to sing it. I've done the show before, and actually played Cosette! So, it's been fascinating thinking about music I love so much from a different emotional and vocal perspective. The biggest challenge, in my mind, is that Éponine's music is some of the most well-known (and overdone) music for a female Broadway performer, so I'm really trying to figure out how to make it my own and not just do what everyone has seen a million times before. 

What about this production excites you the most?

Getting beaten up by Thénardier! I've played a lot of silly character roles and a lot of sweet ingénue roles, so I've never been in a stage-smack down before! Totally pumped for that. 

How has local theatre and performing enriched your life?

Without a doubt, my most life-changing experiences happened to be theatrical, and happened while working on another production of Les Misérables, performing with a "local" theater almost 10 years ago. It was one of those 'stars-aligning' experiences, where we had an unbelievable director and a completely selfless cast, made up of people who are still the most talented folks I know. The emotion we built for those productions was hands-down like I'd ever been a part of before or since. That production taught me how to thrive on the challenges of your directors and your peers onstage and how to take pride in being a small part of a perfectly working team. Most importantly, I learned that working with a truly dedicated amateur group has the potential to be more fulfilling than some professional theater experiences, where the repetition of performances can dampen your passion for the material.

Les Miserables - ACT Theater Company October 25-27, 2013 The Collins Center Andover

Check out a rehearsal and meet the cast at Les Miserables at The Collins Center for the Performing Arts in Andover October 25-27, 2013.
Don't miss one of Broadway's most beloved musicals when it come to the Collins Center this month.  Tickets are selling fast.  Visit www.acttheatercompany.com for more information and to purchase your reserved seats online today.

"Meet the Cast of Les Miserables" Blog Series #4: Javert

Bryon Gable, our Javert

Bryon is a seventh and eighth grade Social Studies teacher at Community Day Charter Public School. He currently lives in Dracut, MA with his wife Danique. Bryon moved to Massachusetts last year and is absolutely thrilled to be cast as Javert. Prior to his move, he lived in Meadville, Pennsylvania, where he was actively involved in local theater for over 12 years. He had the honor of being cast in such musicals as My Fair Lady (Henry Higgins), Into the Woods (Cinderella's Prince/Wolf), and Beauty and the Beast (The Beast).

What was your first experience with Les Misérables?

My first experience with Les Misérables was in high-school choir, although I caught the Les Mis bug later in London when the show was running in the West End. Beyond that, I have always been fascinated with the music.

What has it been like to prepare for your role?

It has been exciting and demanding.  I am not a cold person by nature, but to prepare for Javert I've allowed myself to become him during rehearsal and it's very interesting the response I get from the cast. Everyone knows how much I love to laugh, but not as Javert! Also, it's been interesting, to say the least, growing large enough side burns to do Hugo's Javert justice…

What about this production excites you the most?

I'm excited to be working with so many talented dedicated artists.  From age 8 and above, the cast is über-talented.  Also, the musical direction and musicians are top notch.

How has local theatre and performing enriched your life?

Theater has given me some of the most memorable, happy moments.  It has also been challenging as an actor to ensure that the audience leaves feeling invigorated and fulfilled.