This year, Dempsey Middle School will be putting on their production of “Newsies Jr.,” hosted by Hayes High School. Auditions were held the last week of August and the process of preparing the show has been ongoing since then. This year, the cast and crew include about 130 people, with an adult crew of seven in production and directing.
“Newsies Jr.” is a relatively unique musical for the Dempsey team, who have recently only performed musicals with rather light tones, including “Willy Wonka Jr.,” “Wizard of Oz” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” “Newsies Jr.” is the story of a group of impoverished orphans who work the title job in order to survive. When they find their survival challenged by the decisions of higher-ups, they decide to unionize for their labor rights.
“I have really enjoyed working on a middle school musical that’s serious,” Music Director Kelly Winner said. “[‘Newsies Jr.’ has] a serious theme of kids fighting for their rights, and it’s been really fun to watch [the kids’] interpretations of serious emotions.”
However, the musical also has technical challenges for many of the cast members. “Newsies Jr.” gives students a chance to explore new and different talents throughout the time spent working on the show.
“This is definitely the hardest dancing show we’ve done in a minute,” Winner said. “The kids have had to work really hard on their dancing but […] they’re rising to the occasion.”
From a teaching perspective, it’s much like any other musical or play: an opportunity for the students to learn and grow. Over the months of practice, students stretch their skills to be the best performers they can.
“When I first saw them start out, it was a little rough,” said sophomore and Hayes auditorium tech Simon Jones. “So now, it’s really cool to see how much they’ve improved.”
Some students favor one aspect of the show over another–Mae Breck-Buhler in the role of Pigtails, for example, favors the show of skills needed for dancing. Overall, much of the cast finds themself agreeing that the process has been valuable no matter what and look forward to getting to present the show.
“I am really looking forward to everyone seeing how much work we’ve put into the show,” said Zoe Kincaid, who plays Nancy, a named Newsie.
The musical will be shown at Hayes High School on Nov. 8 and 9. Tickets are available online or at the door of the three performances.
“I’m just gonna say, the show’s gonna be great,” ensemble member Samantha Hedrick said.
