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Report on the January-February 2017 University of Virginia Events around Les Misérables Organized by Professor Emeritus Marva Barnett

Thanks to the generous grant from the Arts Endowment, supported by the Provost’s Office Course Enhancement Grant connected to my University Seminar, Les Misérables Today, the University of Virginia hosted several unique events, including the world’s first exhibit devoted to caricatures and cartoons about Victor Hugo’s epic novel and the second UVA artistic residency with the award-winning creators of the world’s longest-running musical—artists who have participated in no other artistic residencies. These events will live on through the internet, including the online presence of the Les Misérables Just for Laughs scholarly catalogue and the video of the February 23 conversation with Boublil and Schönberg.

Les Misérables Just for Laughs / Les Misérables Pour Rire Exhibit in the Rotunda Upper West Oval Room, Jan. 21-Feb. 28

Before it was made into over fifty films and an award-winning musical, Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables was a rampant best seller when it appeared in 1862. The popular cartoonists who had caricatured Hugo for thirty years leapt at the chance to satirize his epic novel. With my assistance and that of Emily Umansky (CLAS/Batten ’17), French Hugo specialist Gérard Pouchain mounted the first-ever exhibit of original publications of Les Misérables caricatures—ranging from parodies to comic sketches of the author with his characters. On January 23, at 4:00 p.m. he gave his illustrated French presentation, “La caricature au service de la gloire, ou Victor Hugo raconté par le portrait-charge,” in the Rotunda Dome Room to approximately 25 UVA faculty and students, as well as Charlottesville community members associated with the Alliance Française.

M. Pouchain chose to spend many hours in the exhibit hall, talking with visitors and signing exhibition catalogues. Three-quarters of my 18 USEM students attended the optional exhibit visit with M. Pouchain outside of class (a previous speaking commitment meant that he could not meet with them during class). For an hour he talked with these first-year students about how caricaturists had captured not only Hugo’s career but also his most famous novel.

Photo by Coe Sweet

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The exhibit catalogue—written by Gérard Pouchain, translated by UVA Professor Emeritus Robert F. Cook, and edited by me—is a scholarly document that constitutes the first thorough analysis of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables in caricature and parody. As such, it has been posted on the premier research site for Hugo studies, the Groupe Hugo site at the Université Paris 7. Gérard Pouchain, formerly professeur agrégé at the Lycée Buffon, is currently a research associate at the Centre d’Études et de Recherche Éditer/Interpréter (CÉRÉdI), Université de Rouen. Author of a detailed biography of Hugo’s long-time lover, Juliette Drouet, M. Pouchain has curated—and edited catalogues for—numerous exhibitions of caricatures of Victor Hugo in Europe, the United States, China, and Cuba. In 2008, the French government recognized his contributions to literary and historical studies by naming him Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur. Data from the Rotunda show that a total of 20,391 people visited the Rotunda. Of course, not all of them spent time at the exhibit, but the Rotunda Manager feels certain that a good number did visit. Guest book signatures reveal visitors from a variety of countries, including Taiwan, France and Guadeloupe. News stories and postings about the Les Misérables Just for Laughs events, before and after, include these:

• Story announcing the events • Story of the exhibit and French presentation by Emily Umansky, including link to on-line

catalogue Goals achieved:

• For University Seminar students, an expanded understanding of both Victor Hugo’s life and fame and the impact of his Les Misérables on his contemporaries, ideas which now underpin their work on how the novel resonates in the U.S. today

• For the several USEM students studying French—as well as for francophone students and visitors who attended the exhibit—a chance to talk directly with an engaging, approachable French scholar about history and art

• For Alliance Française community members, a renewed connection with, and appreciation for, what UVA offers

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Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s artistic residency, February 22-24, 2017

The Tony-Award-winning creators of Les Misérables and Miss Saigon, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, were against artists in residence at UVA February 22-24, 2017. They came primarily to talk with students about composing, book and lyrics writing and their experiences with their musicals on stage and screen. They met with 9 separate groups of students and associated faculty, answering questions and coaching singers and participated in 3 public events, with a total attendance of at least 1,014 (details in Appendix A). The positive impact on undergraduate students is clear from project assistant Emily Umansky’s summary: For students who have devoted countless hours to studying music and drama, listened to the Les Misérables and Miss Saigon soundtracks again and again, poured over the words in Victor Hugo's novel, or just have a love for the arts, meeting Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil was an invaluable experience. Over lunch on Wednesday, a small group of students were

able to have a casual conversation with the artists about music, their recent work on the new Miss Saigon, and contemporary issues in society. Marva's class of first-year students in the midst of reading Les Misérables engaged in a deep conversation with Boublil and Schönberg about the timeless themes of the novel, the development of complicated, human characters, and the phenomenon of the contemporary resonance of Hugo's story. Hearing about how these artists captured the spirit of the novel and transformed it into music was inspiring, and the students will likely keep Schönberg and Boublil's reflections in mind throughout the rest of the semester.

The University Singers and students in the Musical Theatre Performance class were thrilled to work with Boublil and Schönberg. From the moment they walked in, the students were eager to perform for them. During rehearsal with the students, Schönberg jumped in and brought great energy to their performance through his musical direction. He worked with the groups as a whole, but also called forward individuals to workshop with them and give personal advice. The students learned about the music in ways they only could have from its creators. Boublil and Schönberg were able to give the students insight into their creative process, and evoke the emotions at the heart of the music that would enrich students’ performances. It was a

Photo by Coe Sweet

Photo by Coe Sweet

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once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the students to sing this music with its creators in the room. Likewise, students in the other Drama classes that Schönberg and Boublil visited got to learn about the creation of theater from masters. The artists offered their creative genius and expertise and treated these rehearsals and classes with professional seriousness. This is their life's work, and it was evident how much they cared about helping the students improve. Students who engaged with Boublil and Schönberg throughout the residency were inspired by their attention to contemporary societal and political issues. Les Misérables and Miss Saigon evoke empathy for those who suffer, and the moral messages in these works are not confined to the theater. By talking with these artists, students were reminded how much we can learn from art about other peoples and cultures, the troubles faced by humanity, and how we should live our lives. Sample comments from Drama graduate/MFA acting and directing students and from undergraduate students appear in Appendix B University Seminar students’ mini-essays about what they gained from talking with Schönberg and Boublil are excerpted in Appendix C. A VPA-organized dinner that evening gave VIPs and faculty members the opportunity to talk directly with our guests, and with Australian musical-theater composer and lyricist Paul Hodge, who accompanied his mentor Alain Boublil at all events. Guests included: Jody Kielbasa, Christine Hollins, Francesca Fiorani, Matthew McLendon, Joanne Robinson, Gretchen Tibbits, Christine Tibbits, Laurie Turner, Cary Turner, Mary Kate Bray, Melissa Young, Michael Slon, Holly Slon, Bob Chapel, Maria Chapel, Marva Barnett and Jon Guillot. News stories and postings about Schönberg and Boublil’s artistic residency include these: Post-event:

• CREATORS OF ‘LES MISÉRABLES’ INSPIRE AS ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE, UVAToday story by Lorenzo Perez

• An Evening with Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, story by Marva Barnett, including a link to the video of the February 23 public conversation

• BWW Exclusive Interview: Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg Discuss the Politics of Theatre and More!, by Andrew Burrill (UVA Drama ’16)

• Immigrants as Artists—What I Learned from the “Les Mis” Creators, Huffington Post op-ed inspired by the residency

• University Singers Facebook page, including dozens of photos • 'Les Misérables' musical artists share experiences, The Cavalier Daily, by Anna Morgan • To come: John Kelly’s Arts Magazine story

Pre-event: • AWARD-WINNING ‘LES MISÉRABLES’ CREATORS TO BE ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE AT UVA,

UVA Today story by Caroline Newman • Creators Behind “Les Misérables” Musical Coming to UVA, WUVA story by Aurora

Calderone Goals achieved: As evidenced by the attached comments from graduate and undergraduate students, as well as those from members of the public who attended public events, the desired goals were attained:

• Rich conversations among all participants about the power of the arts to touch us deeply and improve our lives

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• Inspiration for my Les Misérables USEM students to engage even more deeply with the universal themes in Hugo story, whether in the novel, on stage, or on screen

• Inspiration and practical suggestions into musical theater for interested students, including the value of doing one’s very best work and the importance of deep commitment for success in the arts

Funding received ($29,150 + dinner costs)

• Arts Endowment Grant: $25,000 (proposal by Drama Department Chair Colleen Kelly) • Office of the Provost Course Enhancement Grant in support of USEM: $3,500 • Arts & Sciences: $350 in support of Coe Sweet photography • French Department: $300 in support of the Les Misérables Just for Laughs catalogue +

funding of the post-lecture dinner with M. Pouchain A team effort: Support from a number of University units helped make all these events the great successes they were. I am grateful to all the funders and co-sponsors, as well as to these colleagues from these units:

• Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts and Arts Development: Jody Kielbasa, Emma Terry, Christine Hollins, John Kelly, Jane Maples, Holly Odom

• Music: Michael Slon, Joel Jacobus, Marcy Day, Tyler Miller • Drama: Colleen Kelly, Barbara Koonin, Cady Garey, Denise Stewart, Steven Warner,

James Scales, Andrew Burnett, J Taylor, Judy McPeak, Caitlin McLeod, Wren Curtis faculty who invited Schönberg and Boublil to their classes

• The Virginia Film Festival: Sarah Cain • Newcomb Hall: Tessa Narins, Eric Williams • Arts & Sciences: Francesca Fiorani, Lorenzo Perez • French: Robert F. Cook (Professor Emeritus), Ari Blatt, Kathy Halvorsen • Rotunda: Sheri Winston, Brian Hogg • Facilities Management: Sarita Herman, Phil Kleinheinz • Harrison-Small Research Center: Holly Robertson • UVa Printing Services: Eric Cross, Keith Tekin • Fralin Museum of Art: Patrick Burton, Katie Womack • University Communications: John Kelly, Alex Reborn, Caroline Newman • Photographer Coe Sweet

Special thanks go to English/Batten major Emily Umansky and Drama Administrative Assistant Barbara Koonin, who did yeoman work. Appendices:

• A: Schönberg and Boublil’s interactions with students, faculty and community members • B: Sample comments from Drama graduate/MFA acting and directing students and from

undergraduate students • C: Excerpts of University Seminar students’ mini-essays about what they gained from

talking with Schönberg and Boublil Respectfully submitted, Marva A. Barnett 31 March 2017

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APPENDIX A: Classes Visited and Public Events Wednesday, February 22:

Time Activity Location Participants

10:30-11:30 am

Workshop and Q&A with graduate student actors and singers

Drama Building, room 115C

15 Students & Faculty Drama Masters of Fine Arts graduate students, with Chair Colleen Kelly and several faculty members

12:00 noon-1:30 pm

Giving students interested in Les Mis the chance to get to know Schönberg and Boublil over lunch

Hotel E, room E-1

6 Students Students who have taken Marva’s class in the past and/or are interested in Les Misérables

2:00-3:00 pm

Q&A with first-year students Rotunda Lower West Oval Room

18 Students Students in Marva’s University Seminar, Les Misérables Today, who are reading the novel and discussing its contemporary relevance

3:45-4:45 pm

Musical workshop and Q&A. Schönberg and Boublil helping the University Singers prepare for Thursday night’s performance.

Old Cabell Hall Auditorium

83 Students The University Singers, directed by Michael Slon

7-10 pm Introduction to and screening of Miss Saigon

Newcomb Hall Theatre

134 in attendance

Thursday, February 23:

Time Activity Location Participants

10:00-10:45 am

Workshop and Q&A undergraduate students. Schönberg and Boublil helping the students practice “Do You Hear the People Sing?”

Drama Building, room 115C

18 Students Musical Theatre Performance, taught by Greg Harris

12:00 noon-1:30 pm

Lunch with Drama faculty and staff Orzo 7 Drama Faculty members and staff.

1:45-3:30 pm

Interview for BroadwayWorld with Andrew Burrill

Colonnade Club

1 alumnus: Andrew Burrill, CLAS ‘16

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3:30-4:15 pm

Q&A on singing in musical theater Old Cabell Hall 107

12 Students Voice for the Stage, taught by Pam Beasley

6:30- 8:00 pm

An Evening with Claude-Michel Schönberg & Alain Boublil. Musical overture and introduction by the University Singers, led by Michael Slon, & guest artists. Conversation between Schönberg, Boublil and Marva on their personal backgrounds, careers, and experiences in the world of musical theater.

Old Cabell Hall Auditorium

478 Audience Members, plus the ca. 90 University Singers.

Friday, February 24:

Time Activity Location Participants

10:30-11:15 am

Discuss the process of writing musicals and plays

Culbreth Theatre

6 Students Students studying playwriting and Professor Doug Grissom

1:00-1:40 pm

Q&A with undergraduate students, discussing issues such as blind casting and historical influence in musicals

Drama room 217

23 Students Modern American Drama, taught by Professor Katelyn Wood

2:00-2:50 pm

Q&A with undergraduate students Wilson Hall 402

80 Students Cinema as Art, taught by Matthew Marshall

4:00-5:00 pm

Conversation with Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil For Drama students, Drama patrons, and the public

Ruth Caplin Theatre

126 Audience Members Moderated by Drama Chair, Colleen Kelly, with support from Marva Barnett

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APPENDIX B: Comments on the Boublil-Schönberg residency To gathered these comments, I sent requests to the professors whose courses the artists visited Drama MFA students: Dear Marva, What a privilege to have met Mr. Schönberg and Mr. Boublil. They were so generous with their time and to have them visit us, the graduate students, and speak with us was a thrill indeed!

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about their collaboration and how it all began. I always like hearing about the behind the scenes stories. To me, the journey is just as sweet, if not sweeter, than the success. I also enjoyed hearing them say, and obviously I am paraphrasing here, that if you are not passionate about what you are trying to create, then don’t do it. If it’s not on your mind every minute of the day, don’t do it. It was inspiring to hear what they had to say.

Thank you, Marva, for giving us the opportunity to spend time with these two wonderful and gifted human beings.

Michael Miranda

Dear Marva, I was very fortunate to be in the room with our guests during 5 separate occasions and it was really an honor. Musical Theatre is literally in my blood (my cousin was John-Michael Tebelak, who wrote Godspell and my mom named me after the song from the musical Paint Your Wagon) and I grew up listening to Les Mis (my grandma had such a big crush on Colm Wilkinson). The first time most people in my life realized I could sing was when I performed “I Dreamed a Dream” during my 9th grade Christmas concert in high school. The next year I won the talent show at school after singing “On My Own.” My little sister was in the very first “school edition” of Les Mis in all of Ohio, and Les Mis was the first show I saw on Broadway. I will never forget the first time I listened to Miss Saigon all the way through and cried more than I have ever cried while listening to music in my life (and I was around 16 or so). Along with Stephen Sondheim, Alan Menken and the Beatles, Boublil and Schönberg have had the biggest influence in my life as a musician, singer, actor, and purveyor of the arts. For never having the honor of performing in Les Miserables (…yet), there are few musicals that I have a stronger relationship with. Their work shaped me as a singer. When you have the opportunity to meet someone who is so deeply ingrained in your life, you almost don’t know what to do. For a long time before their visit I didn’t even know what I was going to ask them. On one hand, you want to be professional and not a total “fan-girl” and on the other hand THEY WROTE LES MIS. When I finally started coming up with questions, I kept coming up with them for more than an hour. My last question, which I never did ask (and I assume was the result of writing questions for an hour at 1:30am) was, “Did you know you’re only 181 miles from zip code 24601? If I lived there I would sing it every time I wrote my address.”

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What I especially loved about getting to be around our guests so much was watching Claude-Michel Schönberg work with the University Singers (and us, the soloists) during the concert rehearsal and watching him work with the musical theatre class that I am a TA for. U-Singers is obviously a trained and experienced choir and they were able to handle and adapt to any changes with ease. Our musical theatre class has a lot of inexperienced people in it, and they in no way have the same group dynamic. However, CMS treated both groups the same and with the same level of respect. I was so proud that he said the students in the MT class had great intention in their performance (because that’s what I was focusing on with them the most). CMS could have been very frustrated with the student from our MT class who struggled with matching pitches, but he never showed it. He showed that student a lot of respect and patience, and to see that coming from the man who wrote the songs, and who could understandably want them to be sung correctly, was wonderful. I have never had such a great opportunity to engage with theatrical creators as I did last week. I went to a state school and have a BFA in musical theatre, but we were never fortunate enough to have guests of this caliber visit and spend SO much time with students. I am grateful to you and UVA for providing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is just another example of why it was a good decision to attend graduate school here. Thank you, Alisa Ledyard Dearest Marva, I wanted to thank you for the wonderful opportunity to interact with Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil yesterday. Thank you so much for making this happen! It was such a privilege to be in the presence of such great artists and be inspired by them. I have gained immeasurably from this experience and thank you from the bottom of my heart! Please convey my heartfelt thanks and regards to them as well. Warm regards, Priyanka (Shetty) Musical Theatre Performance course: Dear Ms. Barnett, I wanted to share my thoughts with you from Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s visit to our musical theater performance class. First of all, thank you for coordinating and organizing their visit. It was a very memorable, impactful, and joyful encounter with two such talented artists. I thoroughly enjoyed having them visit our class and critique our performance…what an honor to have them at UVa!! I asked a question about the inspiration for Les Miserables. They responded that the main inspiration derived from the text/script. They went on to describe that if one truly understands the work and its intent, writing music for it makes sense as a complement of the text and should merely be an extension of the script.

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We also received helpful feedback from our performance. One of my key takeaways was to make sure that from the very instant the women join the singing, we show a fierceness and display the desire to rally others with us in loud determination and vigor. Hopefully this gives you a glimpse of how much I enjoyed their visit. Have a wonderful break! Thanks again. Best, Mary-Carolyn Sloan Hi Professor Barnett, I really enjoyed our time with the two and would like to thank you for coordinating such an incredible experience. I was very worried about performing in from the two men seeing as they are so accomplished and would undoubtedly be disappointed with our performance of their work, but they clapped and, even if they didn’t truly, made us feel as though we had done their work justice. It was incredible to hear their feedback on both characterization and performance of the song. My experience in particular, where Schönberg had me sing by myself in front of him was very nerve wracking but when he patted me on the shoulder in commendation it was a very meaningful moment of validation, even though it was very small. It was just so incredible to hear these two men talk about their revolutionary work as though it were nothing special. They spoke of how they got their start and how the play started to become a phenomenon and how they helped in creating the motion picture like it was nothing which was so mind boggling to me. These men don’t see themselves as the celebrities we do and that is something so incredibly admirable. Best, Nick Tully Hello Professor Barnett, I was very nervous to perform for the two of them, despite having the strength of the rest of the ensemble around me all the time. Hearing that simple "good." when we finished singing was the most gratifying use of the word I've ever heard! We all put a lot of work into really selling the song to them so it was amazing to see that recognized by the people that quite literally created it. The Q& A was also invaluable, because it was difficult to imagine how a musical could come about from scraps of idea, and being able to hear the process of one of the most successful musicals was quite a special way to learn such a unique process. They really showed the mix of creativity and discipline it takes to make a great artistic work. And they also seemed to genuinely love everything they had created, even after all these years. They also had a great sense of humor. They were men of much wisdom and we were lucky to briefly share in that. Best, Laura Young

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Having the opportunity to interact and learn from the legendary duo Claude-Michel Schubert and Alain Boublil last week was extremely enlightening and inspiring. I really appreciated the time they took to instruct our class from both a musical and performance standpoint. The advice of singing and developing the story and intention behind the piece was helpful to connect more in our performances. I appreciated how candid and transparent they both were in sharing the difficulties and joys of being involved in something as iconic as Les Miserables or in the musical theater world in general. Thank you for this opportunity! Best, Savannah Lane Having the writers of the song we were singing come in to workshop it with us was amazing. They were so helpful and funny and so good-natured when we asked questions. People often tell you to not get your hopes up about meeting celebrities because they may not be what you want them to be, but Boublil and Schönberg were everything I hoped and more. Their spirit and passion for musical theater was amazing. Their insight on auditioning was also very helpful. I also loved that they introduced themselves with a political statement in the beginning of their conversation on Thursday night. Hearing their perspective on theater, storytelling, and life in general was so inspiring. I would love to be a part of something like this again if they, or any other guest, were to come to UVA again. Thank you, Genesis Brockett Voice Class in the Music Department: Mr. Schonberg and Mr. Boublil, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you both for the time and insights you shared with all of us at UVA in February. I was lucky enough to work with you during your masterclass with the University Singers, as I sang the part of Éponine in “One Day More,” and I was present in your visits to both the Voice for the Stage class in Old Cabell Hall and with the playwriting students. I could write a novel to the two of you explaining how your work has shown me what I want to do with my life, has given me incredible friends who share my passion for your music and storytelling, and has shaped the person I am today, but I will hold myself to brevity. For years, you both have inspired me to wholeheartedly dedicate myself to a life in the arts, and I just want to thank you for being so generous and kind to all of us. Meeting you both and sharing my love of the stories and music you have brought into this world has given me more assurance that being an artist is, without a doubt, what I need to do with my life. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for taking the time to pass on encouragement to young and developing artists. Thank you for giving me music that I turn to at each joyful and anguished moment of my life. Thank you for making me more inspired by the work I want to do than intimidated by it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. With thanks and appreciation, Mimi Robinson

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Dear Marva, It was a fantastic experience to have Claude-Michel and Alain in the class—and they were so generous with their time. They stayed with us until well past 4:30. They seemed energized by the students’ questions. The students were enamored but nevertheless asked pointed and articulate questions. It was a great experience. So glad we could be a small part of the visit. Thanks again, Pam Beasley (instructor) Unsolicited comment: Hi, Professor! The Q&A today was one of the most memorable moments of my life, though, and I can't thank you enough for everything you have done to make that happen. Thank you! Maddy Mallory

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Appendix C: Comments (excerpted) from Les Misérables Today USEM students about what they gained from conversation with Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil I’m so grateful for our conversation with Schönberg and Boublil because it reminded me the power people have to create, imagine, and make something great. Their answer to my question about the difficulty of writing characters expanded my expectations and inspirations. Whenever I am working on something, whether homework or activities I enjoy, I immediately classify it as hard or easy. The difficulty I perceive in a situation determines how I approach the problems. Their answer to which characters were harder to write for challenged how I have thought about not just writing but also other problems in my life. They said that when trying to write the best you can for a character, every character is both hard and easy at different times. This idea of having excellent characters was more important than the difficulty in creating each. It made me question if I focus on difficulty more than excellence.

I found it absolutely transcendent that the rationale for their love of Les Misérables very closely mirrored that of my own. At one point, describing why they loved the novel so much, they nearly stole the words from my thoughts: Schönberg said it was “le romantisme” and Boublil concurred, declaring that it was the greatest love story ever told. For me, who fell in love with Les Misérables because it was so full of love, that was a brilliant moment in which I felt more connected to the novel than ever.

Hearing Schönberg and Boublil talk about how the book is still relevant today really intrigued me. Usually when I read a piece of literature, I think of it as a good story, rather than something that I can relate to. When Schönberg and Boublil talked about Les Mis being able to relate to todays events and the horrors and injustices that people have to go through just really shook my world as to how relevant this book is in our life. They gave me a new appreciation for each one of our readings. Now when I read a section and listen to the story being told, it makes me think about what is happening to those today.

In the end, Schönberg and Boublil commented that their art is experienced differently by every person who witnesses it. They taught me last week that the intentions of the artist are important but not as important as how the art actually affects people.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to kick off the questions with one that was particularly broad: “To what extent do you feel that the story is relevant in today’s world, and how has the meaning of the show changed over time since its premiere?” Schönberg and Boublil provided a very thorough answer with many facets but the point that stuck with me the most was that in every country that the musical has been performed in, every audience see themselves in the

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show and finds a reason to believe that it is about them. This idea of relatability is so crucial to how timeless the show really is and its longstanding relevance. They also spoke about how it truly is unfortunate how relevant the show is today, in terms of the amount of suffering and classism that still exists. Problems that Hugo wrote about over a hundred years ago still pervade our society, and it is that idea perhaps that makes Les Misérables so genuinely tragic in nature. Their commentary on the creative process and the genre of musical theatre was extraordinarily enlightening. In answering a question about how the idea to turn the novel into a musical came to be, they stated that, “Music fits everything that is bigger than life.” I had failed to consider the immense truth of this statement before hearing it spoken; music is so powerful as an act of creative expression and it is really able to capture, in this specific instance, such complex situations and ideas containing a great emotional depth. Furthermore, their observations on the impact of dreams and the idea of dreaming as an unconscious act of creation were very poignant. Going forward, I hope to place more value on the creative potential of unconscious moments and the beauty of “not knowing why” something has happened, so as to prevent the creative process from turning into a “recipe.” Their consideration of our interpretations and feelings was extremely gracious and gave the notion that their work was not just words and music notes on a page, but instead it was alive and well, being debated and morphing in the minds of its interpreters.

I think the thing that struck me right off the bat was the brilliance and talent of these two men. I loved when someone asked about the process of putting the storyline and characters to music, and they bounced off one another telling stories about dreams and visions that they had in which the sound just came to them. I am a person who deeply loves and admires music, but does not have the talent to compose it, which makes people like Schönberg and Boublil all the more impressive to me. Their humility about their musical and screenwriting ability was striking as well. Another thing that I really loved was when they said that they could not choose a character that was the most difficult or most fun to create because each one is so well rounded. I had never thought about the fact that the personalities of a part in a book, movie, or play are works of art that are created by a writer. The artist or author is in love with the character they create, and that is so beautiful.

"To dream is the unconscious act of creation" - Claude-Michel Schönberg This quote was, by far, my favorite part of speaking with Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, the creators of Les Misérables. When asked whether the two creators had a favorite character within their timeless musical, Schönberg responded with this analogy to the act of omniscient dreams: in imagining oneself as everything at once, as one does when one dreams, it is impossible to distinguish oneself from one's own creation. As an artist, this quote particularly resonated with me in that it reminded me that, if there is not a piece of your rawest self within everything you create, then there is no reason to create.

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One of the two men also commented on the “freshness” of creating a character or musical. What they said was that (and I paraphrase here) “if you know why something is, it becomes a recipe, and you lose the freshness.” This concept showed me how they go about creating their works with such raw emotion and pure idea, and, as someone who tends to overthink things when I myself write, this was a fascinating idea to me, and it made me understand how they were able to create characters who were so relatable and real in their musical. It was also fascinating to see where the musical first came to light, as Boublil watched a different musical and suddenly pictured Gavroche dancing about stage in place of the Artful Dodger. It is always intriguing to me when a fleeting moment was what caused such a magnificent work of art come into being. The two were clearly artists, and the way in which they spoke to us was incredibly poetic. Multiple times, Schönberg made a comment about something that came out as so lovely and philosophical that it was like he had written it down beforehand, yet it was undoubtedly real. The primary example of this was when he responded to having a favorite character, and how he likened it to you “being” all the characters in a dream.

I also thought their perspective on the creative process as a difficult one was very valuable because many people think that ‘great artists’ simply rise on talent, but talent needs to be accompanied with hard work and difficulty. They talked about how there has never been as ‘easy’ song for them to write, and I thought that that was indicative about how determinately hard the creative process can be, but if you are creating something you love, it is worth it.

One question posed to Schönberg and Boublil was about why we are left feeling good at the end of Les Misérables even though almost every character dies. They said that the message of goodness, personal discovery and improvement, and compassion trumps the feeling of sadness inside ourselves. So many different forms of love are portrayed throughout the musical, including within Jean Valjean, who was previously full of anger and vengeance. Schönberg described his musical as a “biography of Jean Valjean.” By putting the focus on Valjean, the audience is automatically inspired by his transformation and compassion for others. He serves as a role model to people, and this message transcends the stage.

No matter how many times I can play the album on repeat, or watch the movie, nothing can quite compare to the ability to actually hear the creators speak on their piece. Both Schönberg and Boublil were extremely humble, and one of the most heartwarming parts of the entire experience was how wonderfully they both played off each other and appeared to truly be a team. Their candor when answering our questions was just spectacular, and you could truly tell that they were so excited to answer our questions and speak to their piece.

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One of the key insights I took away was when M. Schönberg began talking about the application of the ideas of Les Misérables to current events. He believes, as the preface says, that a book like this one will always be needed. What took me aback was that he didn’t talk about Victor Hugo’s philosophy, what the author had to say about republics, poverty, or religion, instead Boublil and Schönberg used the characters to make his political points. He compared the emerging slogan, “America First” with the outlook of the Thénardiers. The greed and the self-obsession of the Thénardiers ultimately isolated them and lead to their misery. In the same way an overly self-seeking country cannot survive in this modern and globalized world. Empathy is a universally, internationally, needed trait to survive. This comparison was brilliant. If someone had asked me how Les Misérables applies to current events, I probably would’ve talked about how poverty creates crime or the importance of education. But M. Schönberg took political lessons not from the philosophy of Victor Hugo, but from individual characters.

After our discussion with the creators of the musical, I was very much struck by the relevance of Victor Hugo's novel. What inspired me the most was Mr. Schönberg's answer to the very first question, posed by Grace, asking about the extent to which the musical and story remains relevant. His answer, (although I'm afraid I couldn't catch it word for word so I am forced to paraphrase), was that whenever a story is written about history there are always elements that won't remain relatable, but when a story is written about humanity, it will forever be relevant. Les Misérables is a story about the wretched, but it is also inevitably a story of the joyous, the triumphant, and the divine. This is because it is a story of humanity. The political climate of France in Victor Hugo's time may be a major element of the plot, but the story lies within the redemption of Jean Valjean, the sins of the Thénardiers, the love of Marius and Cosette, and the tragedy of Gavroche, the one who started it all. I want to create that. I want to tell stories that can be understood by anyone, regardless of life experience. I want to write stories that have enough levels and subtleties that any person from any background will be able to find meaning. If it hadn't been for this discussion, I'm afraid I may have lost sight of that.

I came to understand more clearly through our discussion the nuance with which Hugo imbued each character. The relationships are not binary, there is no black and white, Jean Valjean does not solely represent good, nor Javert bad. The characters all have their own interests, their own unique personalities that shape the means they use to achieve their goals. Because Jean Valjean symbolizes perseverance and oppression, we sympathize with him as readers; and because Javert—though he embodies truth, justice, and virtue—has interests that conflict with Jean Valjean’s, he is seen as a villain. Claude-Michel summarized this point perfectly when asked if he thought Jean Valjean should be considered a villain. Schönberg asked if anyone would consider themselves a villain—of course not.