Whether at a football game, BOA, or UIL competition, the 220-member Lake Travis Cavalier Band has been capturing the hearts and minds of those who witness their performances for years. This year, directors Richard Hicks and Benjamin Zein along with 2025 drum majors Nicole Harris, Brenna Wycherly, Ethan Watson and Collin Meyer are taking on their most ambitious production yet: Les Miserables: Beyond the Page, an artistically inspired and fascinating take on Victor Hugo’s classic 19th century French novel and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s 1987 musical of the same name.
Why Les Mis?
“I think people are familiar [with it] first of all, that it’s a musical. It connects a lot of generational people together,” Richard Hicks, band director, said. “I don’t know how many people know that it was written by Victor Huge as a book first, and a lot of the music from the musical is familiar, whether people have seen [it] or seen it in commercials.”
A classic story of redemption and justice, Les Miserables follows Jean Valjean who, after stealing a loaf of bread, fights for his own redemption whilst fleeing from the infamous Inspector Javert amidst the backdrop of France’s 1832 June Rebellion. These themes and historical inspiration that make the show as ambitious and bold as it is.
However, the LTHS 2025 production is not necessarily to tell a story, but rather create a concept that any given audience member can relate to, depending on their life experiences. Hicks expressed how the aesthetic of the show is based more on the connection the musical has to the book, and how the title Beyond the Page comes to life through motifs of inkwells and students performing on stacked books – how these motifs coupled with the music change it from a story with set emotions and intentions to one with a bit of abstract so audiences can interpret it their own way.
“You build it on a generational emotional arc within 7-8 minutes,” Hicks said. “It’s the idea of the music, the idea of the book, and idea of the written word.
The past four shows produced by LTHS include The Seeds Contain the Years (“Seeds), Anonymous, and Winter Bird – all of which portray a type of existentialist motif of growth, identify, survival, rebirth and social justice/redemption – may seem to focus on heavier themes. However, the main goal in choosing these themes is always to ensure the show remains memorable and relatable to as many people as possible.
“The big thing in general is that when you have a show that is an idea (specifically Winter Bird’s cardinal and Seeds‘ growth), I think those end up being a specific idea that then an audience member or group can relate to through their own life experiences,” Hicks said. “Austin is a hotbed with some of the best bands in the world. Being memorable within a group of people like that [inspires us] to continue improving on our current placements [in competitions].
Bold Steps in a New Direction
Beyond the Page is taking yet another turn for the LT Band aesthetically by transitioning from the staple black and white palleted production which has been a staple of the Cav Band for the past few years to a bold and colorful production.
According to Hicks, black and white is typically used for a variety of reasons although “looking good against the background of a green field with white stripes” tends to be the most common reason.
This year, though, Beyond the Page‘s aesthetic is diving deeper into creativity than ever before and striving to create a timelessness effect while still maintaining the motif of an old, ink-written novel in hopes that people of all ages can connect to the program.
[The aesthetic] has more to do with parchment and distinguished book covers,” Hicks said. “We want to make sure that aesthetic is there. . . printer paper, inkjet paper, laser printers, books with bright pages, that’s not what you would see in the previous generations or a few generations ago, so trying to be in the same color aesthetic is really important.”
Despite mentioning how differently any show can be interpreted or related to, Hicks was adamant about the universality of the idea. Whether it’s the Cav Band performing Beyond the Page to parents and classmates, or the Drum Corps Internationals (effectively the professional marching band league), Blue Devils performing Variations on a Gathering (2025 program) to a crowd of alumni, Hicks believes the familiarity of Les Miserables will allow audiences to relate.
“I think there’s trends. . . where you are from an overall program development can affect what you do. We’re kind of leaning into an idea versus a story,” Hicks said. “More audiences will be able to relate to a portion of our how versus us telling a specific story.”
After scoring straight ones in the Regional Marching Competition two weeks ago, the Cavalier Band is heading to Area at Gupton Stadium this coming weekend in hopes of advancing to the State Competition in early November.
