LES MISERABLES Cast Supports Autism Awareness

LES MISERABLES' actor, Andrew Varela and his wife Susan Spencer Varela are no strangers to trying new things and experiencing all that life has to offer. They love to travel the U.S. with their 10-year old son, Oscar and give him a chance to see things most 10 year olds never have a chance to see. Oscar also has a great opportunity to know the cast of LES MISERABLES and to also have parents who have a great love for him. Oscar was also diagnosed with autism. But, that does not define him at all and he flourishes and enjoys everything life has to offer him.

In a recent conversation with Susan she shared, "There's a unique connection between actors and children with autism. We can inspire each other. We have found that our son was very much helped by the fact that he has clowns for parents. We were animated and brought him out of his shell. We see a unique connection between these kids that are in their own world and that need to be brought into our world. Actors are a perfect match."

To show their support, the cast of LES MISERABLES wore their best blue shirts and posed for a picture. Let's all show our support and Light It Up Blue on April 2^nd.

Each April 2nd, Autism Speaks celebrates Light It Up Blue along with the international autism community, in commemoration of the United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day. Light It Up Blue is a unique global initiative that kicks-off Autism Awareness Month and helps raise awareness about autism. In honor of this historic day, many iconic landmarks, hotels, sporting venues, concert halls, museums, bridges and retail stores are among the hundreds of thousands of homes and communities that take part to Light It Up Blue.

Everyone is encouraged to also wear blue on this day to show your support and bring awareness to the forefront. One in fifty school children are diagnosed with autism and it's very prevalent in our society. Helping families and supporting them as they navigate the waters of autism, is a great way to raise this awareness.

PHOTO CREDIT: Shawna M Hamic

CAST OF LES MISERABLES