TRIO TREAD THE BOARDS IN LONDON
Tread the Boards Youth Music Theatre was delighted to be represented at the 20th anniversary performance of the musical phenomenon Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre, London, on Saturday, October 8th.

In June, Tread the Boards’ artistic director Brian Boardman received a letter from the Cameron Mackintosh office inviting him to send a video of some of the society’s soloists performing a song from Les Miserables with a view to appearing in the 20th anniversary celebration of the musical.

From the hundreds of videos submitted from all over the UK, 45 students were then invited for an audition in London on July 30th and three members of Tread the Boards were among them. A week later, Stephen Mitchell (16), Lisa Lynch (16) and Marc McBride (17), pictured inset above (left to right), received confirmation they’d been selected for the 35-strong ensemble that would take part in a specially devised finale arranged for the evening. The Tread the Boards’ trio being the only students selected from Scotland.

Rehearsals followed in the capital on October 1st and 7th before the actual performance on stage at the Queen’s Theatre on October 8th.

And what a celebration it turned out to be, explains Brian Boardman: “Following the evening’s gala performance by the current cast, an excerpt from the school edition of the musical was introduced by producer/entrepreneur Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who also introduced the creative team responsible for the massive success of Les Misérables all around the world, including co-director John Caird (unfortunately Trevor Nunn was in New York), writer Alain Boublil and composer Claude-Michel Schonberg. A birthday cake was brought on stage, champagne flowed and everyone in the theatre joined Sir Cameron in raising a glass in a toast to ‘One Decade More’ of Les Misérables” (pictured top and bottom of this article).

Sir Cameron Mackintosh then threw an after-show party for the children at the Prince of Wales Theatre, attended by the creative team, members of the current cast and some original cast members.

Marc, Lisa and Stephen will long remember this celebration. It was a night proudly witnessed by their parents and Tread the Boards’ artistic directors Brian and Agnes Boardman



A major event in London is being planned for next year, when Les Misérables overtakes Cats as the longest running musical of all time. MORE ABOUT THE 21st ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION LATER!!!