Ireland’s largest theatre school, the Belfast School of Performing Arts has, by kind permission of Cameron Mackintosh, secured the rights in Ireland to produce a cross border production of Les Misérables Schools Edition at the Grand Opera House.
Currently operating seven schools across Northern Ireland, the privately funded Belfast School of Performing Arts has consistently stunned audiences with a series of spectacular shows showcasing the immense talents of our young people and regularly selling out in theatres across NI.
Delighted with the announcement, founder and Director of the Belfast School of Performing Arts James Huish is looking forward to taking BSPA across the rest of Ireland;
“Securing the licence from Josef Weinberger Ltd for this production in Ireland for 2016 is a real achievement for BSPA. Despite recent funding cuts and during what is a very difficult time for the arts we are delighted to be one of the few positive stories and hope this shows that with support from the industry leaders that theatre can and will prevail. We are confident the young people of Ireland will deliver an astounding show while learning from what I promise will be a wonderful experience.”
Belfast’s most iconic theatre, The Grand Opera House, has been chosen as the venue and work is underway in planning what is arguably BSPA’s biggest production yet. James goes on to say;
“This is a fantastic opportunity for students from across Ireland to perform Boublil and Schonberg’s iconic musical here in Belfast. It will be an enriching experience for those who take part both on stage and in the Orchestra. We are very excited to be working on such a wonderful project for the youth here in Ireland both North and South.”
Each year, BSPA run the Summer Youth Project which sees young people take part in an intensive theatre summer school and in 2016 the project will be Les Misérables Schools Edition, the project will run for three weeks culminating in 10 performances. The rehearsal process will be a residential to allow young people from across Ireland to take part. James Huish is excited about scouting for talent across Ireland.
“Details are yet to be confirmed, but we plan to hold auditions in towns and cities across Ireland and I’m sure we will find a huge amount of talent to cast in roles such as Valjean, Javert and Cosette, it’s exciting for BSPA and a huge opportunity for young people in Ireland to experience the theatre and showcase their talents.”
In the meantime, BSPA is continuing to produce some wonderful stage productions and teach around 400 young people from across NI in the art of musical theatre. This year, the Summer Youth Project sees young people showcasing the well-known musicals of Annie and West Side Story which will undoubtedly wow audiences and perhaps give a taste of what’s to come next year.
For further information please visit www.thebspa.co.uk
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