Kirsten Busby stars in Gungahlin College's Les Miserables while vision impaired
The people will hear Kirsten Busby sing when she takes on one of the most difficult roles in her school's production of Les Miserables.
The role marks a goal the Gungahlin College year 11 student never thought she would accomplish: a major role in a stage production.
Kirsten Busby says she was pleasantly surprised to land the role of Cosette in Les Miserables.Credit:Stephen Jeffery
With a vocal range celebrated at Step Into The Limelight and professional gigs across Canberra, Kirsten's audition made her the obvious choice for the demanding role of Cosette in the musical.
She will take to the stage for six performances from Tuesday, starring in a mammoth production featuring 54 students.
The role of Cosette requires a performer to reach consistent high notes, a demand school visual and performing arts director Maria Stewart said Kirsten was more than capable of taking on.
"It was clear that Kirsten was the one who should play that role, because she could sing that high really beautifully," she said.
Kirsten, who is vision impaired, on the other hand, thought the opposite about her chances.
She had no expectation that she would land the prominent position.
"I thought, I'll audition for the experience but I'm not going to have high hopes of the role," she said.
"[When she found out about her casting] my jaw just dropped, I didn't know what to say. I didn't believe it until someone took me down there and read out my name on the sheet."
Kirsten receives assistance from other actors while walking around the stage, putting plotlines in which Cosette's adopted father Jean Valjean and love interest Marius protect her to practical use.
She said any actor, no matter how seasoned, would find the role challenging.
"You have to retain a high note for a long time, and to sustain it for six shows would be a marathon for anyone," she said.
"You're the love interest of another student who ends up in the barricade. As part of that, you have to make it so the focus is both on you and Marius together."
The six sessions of Les Miserables – five nighttime performances and a matinee exclusively for students – run from Tuesday, September 13 to Saturday, September 17.
Stephen Jeffery is a producer at The Canberra Times
Most Viewed in National
Please explain
Our weekly podcast giving you insight into the stories that drive the nation.
Listen now