Moorestown Theater Company Challenges Teens With 'Les Miserables: School Edition'

Moorestown, NJ -- Moorestown Theater Company (MTC) Artistic Director Mark Morgan wants his group to become known as a place where teens can test their performance skills, and one way to do that is to offer shows others don’t.

Take, for instance, this week’s performance of “Les Miserables: School Edition,” MTC's fifth summer teen show, which opens Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 16, at Hope Community Church, 2 p.m.

A total of 53 students turned out for the largest teen show in the company’s history, Morgan said. They come from 19 different high schools from throughout Burlington and Camden counties.

“A lot of people don’t tackle this show,” said Morgan, who said each performance amounts to a musical that is over two hours.

He said they want to give kids the chance to stretch their ‘theater muscles,’ including their acting and vocal talents.

MTC advertised in high school and theater playbills across the region. Students are coming from Burlington Township, which is 35 minutes away, as well as Eastern Regional, Paul VI and Camden Catholic high schools.

He said the high turnout is amazing, considering there are other theater companies putting on performances, and many parents make their teenagers get jobs during the summer.

It’s the first time they’ve drawn more than 50 teens for their summer teen show, including 41 girls and 12 boys.

The show is double-cast, with each cast performing each day. The casts are “black” and “red,” as opposed to the traditional “black” and “gold” for this show.

There are also two additional performances.

“We normally do six performances for our summer shows, but ‘Les Miserables’ is so popular, we added two shows,” Morgan said.

Because of the length, Morgan didn’t want to have more than two performances in one day, so MTC stretched the schedule out to four days, as follows:

Tuesday, Aug. 16: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 17: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 18: 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 19: 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Auditions were held in May. Typically, auditions are the first day of camp, but Morgan wanted the actors to have the show known as “the most popular musical in the world” down at the start of camp so preparations to perform the show could begin on Day 1.

Morgan is confident in his talent, which is essentially an all-star cast.

“We have so many good kids, and they’re all used to being the lead,” Morgan said.

MTC will look to build off this turnout and enhance its reputation with “West Side Story” next summer. Auditions for that show begin soon.

“Les Miserables” features classic characters such as 'Cosette', 'Jean Valjean', 'Javert' and 'Fantine' performing “I Dreamed A Dream”, “Master Of The House”, “Do You Hear The People Sing?”, “One Day More”, “On My Own”, and “Bring Him Home.”

Tickets are $12. All tickets are reserved, and can be purchased online at www.MoorestownTheaterCompany.org, or at the door in the lobby 60 minutes before curtain time.

The theater will open 30 minutes before curtain time.

Call MTC at 856-778-8357 with questions or for group rates.

Hope Community Church is located at 235 West Main Street. Parking will be available in the municipal parking lot, closest to the church. There is also a lot behind the church, and E&B Pawnbroker and Cornerstone Bank will allow parking in their lots for evening performances.