Spread the news! Darien High School’s Theatre 308 will perform the hit Disney Musical
Newsies from Thursday, March 16 to Saturday, March 18.
— an announcement from Darien High School
Newsies is inspired by the true story of the New York City newsboys’ strike of 1899,
when a ragtag group of newsboys, under the leadership of their beloved Jack Kelly,
banded together to take action against Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst and other newspaper publishers who raised the price charged to the newsboys selling papers on the street.
Not only is Newsies a history lesson, but it is also a story of love, friendship
and hope for a better life.
The show is under the direction of Tim Sorensen, assisted and vocal directed by Kim
Sadler, and choreographed by Emily Frangipane and Kelsey Kaminski. Technical
direction and set design are coordinated by Chris Andrade, and costumes are designed
and executed under the guidance of Amy Raskopf. The pit orchestra is directed by Jon
Grauer.
“Newsies speaks to a generation of young people looking for a voice in the world,” Sorensen said. “In the nearly 125 years since the actual newsboy strike, I feel a real honor to share their story and empower my own students to find ways to speak up for what they believe is right. And the best part is, our students get to share this message in the most powerful, energetic, and uplifting of ways — on a stage!”
The book was written by Harvey Fierstein, the score by Alan Menken and the lyrics by
Jack Feldman. Newsies opened on Broadway in March 2012 and received eight Tony
nominations, ultimately winning two: Best Original Score-Menken and Feldman and
Best Choreography-Christopher Gattelli. As a result of its immense popularity, a revival
is currently running in London.