Miss Saigon School Edition

A tragedy of passion and beauty, Miss Saigon is one of the most stunning theatrical spectacles of all time. Nominated for an incredible number of Olivier, Tony and Drama Desk Awards, Miss Saigon is the second massively successful offering from the creators of Les Misérables: Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil, and has now been adapted for high school performers in Miss Saigon School Edition.

In the turmoil of the Vietnam War, Chris, an American soldier, and Kim, a Vietnamese girl, fall in love and marry but are distressingly separated when Saigon falls. As years pass, Chris, unable to contact Kim, remarries and attempts to move on with his life. Kim, however, gives birth to Chris' son and waits faithfully for Chris' return. When circumstances bring Chris back to Vietnam, he learns the truth, but before he is able to speak with Kim, she takes her own life to ensurie that their son will be taken back to America with his father.

Miss Saigon School Edition is an epic, daring musical that is universal in its emotional power. The sung-through, pop-inflected score gives a multi-ethnic cast of strong singers ample opportunities to shine. Meanwhile, its fluid cinematic structure gives directors and designers a field day for creativity. Music Theatre International worked closely with Miss Saigon's creators to ensure this lightly edited adaptation – Miss Saigon School Edition – stays true to intent of the original piece while becoming appropriate for high school performers.

A Note on Casting

MTI School Editions offer students, teachers, and administrators unique opportunities to develop and grow as performers, producers, and patrons of the arts. We believe in diverse representation when casting your production, and encourage an environment that fosters inclusion and supports the inherent value of the sharing of multicultural experiences.

We recognize the intrinsic challenges faced when casting large and diverse productions, principally when limitations arise regarding the available auditionees. In such a situation, when casting a production in an educational setting, it is beneficial to assign roles to actors who can most succeed at portraying the character. Allowing students the opportunity to explore another person's perspectives, motivations and experiences in an authentic and sensitive portrayal stimulates compassion and empathy not always found in a classroom setting.

Theatre is a shared experience to tell a story - not only with the audience but within the cast, crew and production team. We encourage you to include as many diverse experiences as possible when sharing your story with your students.