Juliet Smith has been in love with the musical Les Miserables since sophomore year. She watched the movie soon after she saw the musical and her passion continued to grow.

“The more I got entrenched in it, [the more] I loved it,” said Smith.

The person who really stood out to her was the leader of the June 1832 rebellion,  Enjolras. A charismatic person who is ready to, and ultimately does, die for his beliefs, Smith feels a connection to him.

“He doesn’t just stand up for what he believes is right. He stands up for what he believes is right even though that costs him his life,” said Smith. “He stands up for what he believes in even though he has to take personal sacrifices, which was something that I really admired in a character and something I wanted to show in my One Person Show.”

The Enjolras she portrays in her One Person Show is mostly based off of the character from the book. She wanted to stay true to the original work and only used the musical as a secondary source. Smith also only used the movie when she needed to.

“Writing was a struggle for me. I do NaNoWriMo [National Novel Writing Month], I like poetry, but play writing and writing in an historical tone of voice was really hard for me,” said Smith.

It was not just the tone of writing that was difficult for Smith. Conveying what she wanted to say during her performance also proved to be a challenge. Smith would have liked to have emphasized certain scenes and themes more.

After finishing the long process of One Person Shows, Smith reflected on the lessons she has learned in theater.

“I think one of the most important things that I’ve learned is how to understand myself and be self aware and be self confident and happy with the person I am. I am really starting to understand who I am as a person,” said Smith.