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With the whirring of a drill from the STEAM room, the sound of feet shifting across the floor of the stage, and piano music rising from the Black Box Theater, the Sharon High School Theatre Company (SHSTC) is up and running for its first show of the year: Disney’s Newsies.
Set to open Thursday, Dec. 5, followed by shows on Friday and Saturday, the fast-paced, gritty musical features SHSTC’s wildly talented students. Junior Marcus Myers plays the lead, Jack Kelly, a rebellious newsboy who hopes to one day experience life away from the Big Apple. Myers performs alongside senior Avani Chandrasekaran as Katherine Plumber, an ambitious young reporter who hopes to be taken seriously in a time where women rarely were. The play also features the company’s new members, with a large number of freshmen taking part.
With music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman, Newsies tells the story of the real 1899 newsboys’ strike. The “Newsies” lived a grim life, working to sell papers for a few cents in hopes to get off the streets or buy food for the night. After the price of newspapers went up, the young boys, many of them orphaned and impoverished, fought back in order to protect their rights and form a union. The show features an inspiring story of youth coming together to see necessary change. Director Alyssa Burke commented, “Whether as an actor, a technician, a designer, or as an audience member, the show is an excellent reminder to young people about the power they have to make a difference in the world.”
The company is excited to welcome Ms. Burke this year, as well as David Flowers as music director. With experience working at Bourne High School, and as a Boston-based teaching artist who has directed and choreographed shows as well as run workshops for high school students, Ms. Burke is sure to elevate the already talented and hardworking theater company.
The “Newsies” cast at rehearsal. Photo .
The show features a cast of over 30 student actors, with roles for many students in various production departments. Senior Nailah Mason, a head set designer, commented, “I really like how inclusive it is… There’s a lot of roles for different people, and I think it’s good to have a show where everyone can be included.” The performance consists of a large ensemble, allowing many a chance to perform without the burden of added rehearsal time and songs to learn.
Set Design
Mason, as well as seniors Ada Van Dyke and Luca Townsend, are proud to head the set department and are welcoming a large group of freshmen to the team. “They are all so sweet and kind and ready to jump in and help out—it’s great,” Mason said.
The set team has many exciting ideas, and while they are still in the preliminary stages of the process, Van Dyke spoke about some of their plans: “I’m excited for the scaffolding… We are going to rent out a piece of scaffolding as our main centering, and we’ll kind of build the world around it… I think that’s going to be very, very cool.” Actors will be able to move around and climb on the scaffolding, and it is sure to add dimension to the already mesmerizing dance numbers.
Musicians
Senior Giacomo Woodbury shared his thoughts on the show and said that while not all the songs were created equally, the performance “has a lot of catchy numbers.” “Seize the Day” and “The World Will Know” are some popular favorites.
Woodbury is part of the pit that will be performing live music during the show. He is looking forward to playing drums and percussion. The pit consists of about six of SHS’s own performers, and they are working hard to learn all the music at their weekly meetings. However, Woodbury estimated that about half the pit would have to be hired from outside the school.
On Stage
Rehearsals are already in full swing as cast and crew members meet nearly four days a week after school to learn dance numbers and songs and to begin production work.
Actors are hard at work practicing the signature Newsie jumps and dance moves from opener “Carrying the Banner.” The musical’s dance captains, senior Sammi Grosshandler and freshman Tess McAuliffe, are practicing with the cast to help the large ensemble perfect every move.
Costume Department
Junior Marz Gerber and sophomore Emma Kuznetsov-Kaufman are heading the musical’s costumes department and are working to create the signature Newsie look: scally caps and various ragged suit pieces.
Props
This season, the props team is headed by Harlow M. J. Thomas, a senior, and Taliesin Leichtman, a junior. The team is tasked with gathering and creating Newsie props—including several stacks of newspapers.
Ticket Sales
Tickets are available to purchase online at our.show/newsiesshstc. Use the promo code “Ena” at checkout! (You can also support other students in SHSTC by using their first name as a code at checkout.)
Ms. Burke said one of her goals for SHSTC is to expand outreach to the community, encouraging Sharon residents outside of the school system to support the theater program. The company is hopeful to outsell last year’s Anastasia, and with another well-known and family-friendly show like Newsies, it won’t be a challenging task.