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Boychoir　Adult & Child Reciprocal Redemption

BOYCHOIR is directed by François Girard based on an original screenplay by Ben Ripley and starring Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Eddie Izzard, Debra Winger, Josh Lucas, Kevin McHale, Garrett Wareing, Joe West and River Alexander. The film’s ethereal choral music is woven together with an original score by composer Brian Byrne (ALBERT NOBBS) and a theme song “The Mystery of Your Gift” performed by Grammy nominee and multi-platinum recording artist Josh Groban, which he co-wrote with Byrne.

The Interaction of Transience

Producer Judy Cairo (CRAZY HEART) was shown Ben Ripley’s screenplay by producers Carol Baum and Jane Goldenring, and Cairo then brought the script to a director quite well known for his ability to bring musical stories to emotional life on the screen – the French-Canadian stage, screen and opera director François Girard whose films include the innovative THIRTY TWO SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD and the Academy Award®-winning drama THE RED VIOLIN. He was instantly taken by the story.

“I was presented the text by Judy Cairo without knowing anything much about it and found myself really touched as I began reading,” recalls Girard. “It was a script full of truth and many layers written by a very sensitive writer who is also a musician – which was so important because music can be such a hard thing to reconcile with words. But Ben Ripley was able to weave the two together.”

Girard was also drawn for another irresistible reason. “I was told that Dustin Hoffman had already shown interest. He and I had talked about doing several projects through the years that never happened so, for me, this was also an occasion to kill that frustration!” he laughs. “But really, from the minute I read the script, I couldn’t help but have Dustin in mind for Choirmaster Carvelle.”

The director also couldn’t help but be lured by the very concept of the ephemeral boychoir – which mirrors not only how suddenly childhood vanishes but also how important it is, at any age, in any realm of experience, to latch onto the opportunities in front of us.

“The transience of the boychoir is a reminder that on this journey of life we’re always gaining something and losing something,” Girard observes. “Human beings tend to have a static perception of our experiences but in reality, we are constantly changing, constantly moving and evolving. And though we want to live with certitude, all of our certainties will get smashed one way or another. These are things that are true for the boys singing in the choir in this story -- but I think we all can relate to them.”

Superstars Encounter Genius

The film’s journey into a rarely seen world, its probing of musical passion and its story of lost dreams reconciled quickly drew a cast of major screen presences in the adult roles. Girard was gratified by their effusive response – and even more so by their steadfast commitment to this indie production.

“I was moved by all the characters in Ben’s script, and through the efforts of actors of the caliber of Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Eddie Izzard, Debra Winger, Kevin McHale and Josh Lucas they really came to life, and we got the chance to watch them grow in new directions,” Girard says. “I am so grateful to this cast.”

If the star-studded cast members, with their accumulation of awards and accolades, were the grounding foundation for the film, it was finding the young actors in the boychoir where the casting had to soar. For Stet, as well as his main companions and rivals, the filmmakers set out on a worldwide search, guided by casting director John Papsidera. The hunt for Stet ended in Los Angeles, where the filmmakers discovered 12-year-old Garrett Wareing, a young actor originally from College Station, Texas.

“It’s always scary to cast a 12 year-old,” admits Girard. “Very few have worked before, so you can’t have any evidence other than the audition room -- which is not my favorite place because it can be so misleading. But it was very quickly evident that Garrett had the significant acting skills that were needed for Stet. He is unusually focused for someone his age. I was very impressed with his intensity, and also his discipline, and I think it is the beginning of an exciting journey for him as an actor.”

As production moved forward, Girard also began working closely with Hoffman on developing Carvelle into a three-dimensional man full of human contradictions. The film legend – a two time Oscar® winner and a seven time nominee – is known for bringing out the vulnerability in characters, and though Carvelle comes on like an impervious powerhouse with his students, he harbors doubts and regrets that Stet brings to the fore.

They began to deconstruct the character’s many facets. “Dustin at first questioned why he should do this part,” Girard notes. “Carvelle starts out as a very harsh character, he’s very tough with Stet, and he kind of antagonizes the audience. But with Dustin in the role I always had the conviction that even in his toughness there would be that lovable quality. You feel the warmth of Dustin’s heart always, and that makes a big difference with this kind of character. He has that soulfulness that is part of his presence.”

It was also while working with Hoffman that Girard began to see the story in a new way. Rather than simply the tale of a hardheaded teacher who comes to give a disadvantaged student a chance –- it became equally the story of a young boy who sparks his mentor to re-examine his own life and inspirations before it’s too late.

“This whole idea of the boy saying to the master ‘your clock is ticking old man’ is one that evolved in the late stages between Dustin and myself,” Girard explains. “Dustin and I grew more and more interested in the reverse impact of Stet on Carvelle. That the master will teach the apprentice is obvious but that master gets a lesson doing so is even more interesting. Something has changed in Carvelle at the end of the story.”

Music Pry Your Heart Wide Open

Musical talent abounded across the production, which features an original end title song performed by Josh Groban – the classical vocalist who became one of the world’s biggest pop stars -- written by Groban and the film’s composer, Golden Globe nominee Brian Byrne, who composed the enchanting ALBERT NOBBS score.

But behind it all was the choral music. Every great composer has left his mark on this genre, often perceived to reach the heights of musical beauty. And though the sound is sometimes associated with the Middle Ages or modern churches, choral voices have recently seen a great resurgence, even becoming the subject of reality television shows.

For Girard, the stripped-bare human voice will always be something extraordinary. “I think people love even instrumentalists like Yo-Yo Ma and Joshua Bell because they hear the human voice in their playing,” he says. “When I’ve directed operas, some of the most joyful rehearsals are when the chorus shows up and they launch themselves into vocal harmonies that move me to tears. There is such an emotional power there.”

The sound of a boychoir takes that concept to its highest level. “While choosing the music, I did a lot of research and listening – and I constantly found a purity that touches your heart in a special way. I had to keep my listening sessions short because I would get so emotional, so nostalgic. When you have the innocence of young children mixed with the soul-touching vision of great composers, there’s no other experience like it,” Girard concludes. “So this was the driving force for BOYCHOIR – those pure voices that pry your heart wide open.”

STORY

The soaring, open-hearted treble pitch of pre-teen singing voices is here for a flash and then it is gone – a reminder of the fleeting beauty of childhood and the profound power of time. For centuries, the stunningly pure tones attained by boychoirs have been an artistic and spiritual inspiration, but even now in the 21st Century, amidst a cacophonous landscape of electronic sounds, the raw clarity of the human voice hits a chord within like no other.

It was that chord that seemed to universally draw a group of fervent performers – young and old, new and legendary – to the production of BOYCHOIR. It all began with a script by Ben Ripley, who, though perhaps best known for the sci-fi thriller SOURCE CODE, is also a classical pianist with a deep musical background. When he first learned about boychoir schools where kids make the most of golden voices in the fast-moving years before puberty hits, Ripley couldn’t help but be intrigued by this rarely seen world where genius comes with an expiration date. He was also drawn to the collision of today’s savvy, irreverent kids with such an ancient, otherworldly art form. And most of all he saw a chance to hinge a redemption story around rich themes of childhood, teaching, dreams, impermanence and the ever-changing rhythms of life.

Thus was born the fictional story of Stet, a most improbable entrant to boychoir school -- and the choir master who, in spite of his steely, perfectionist nature, is moved to give him a chance.