Cambridge-based youth theatre group Penny & Pound Theatre Productions is bringing the Broadway hit musical ‘Newsies!’ to Guelph later this month.
The beloved Alan Menken musical began it’s life as a 1992 Disney film, and was adapted into a stage production in 2012, subsequently winning two Tony Awards, including ‘Best Original Score.’
Directed by Piper J. Distel and Lori Robinson Distel, with choreography by Melissa Ruegg, Newsies tells the true story of the Newsboys Strike of 1899. When titans raise the distribution prices of papers at the newsboys expense, charismatic Jack Kelly rallies newsies from across New York to strike against unfair conditions and fight for what’s right. Featuring a gorgeous score by Menken, filled with Broadway hits such as ‘Seize the Day,’ ‘King of New York,’ and ‘Santa Fe,’ Newsies is a spectacle complete with stunning dance sequences and an inspiring story about the power of young people.
Newsies features 47 young performers between the ages of 12 and 30, from Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and as far away as Niagara Falls and Toronto.
"At it’s core, Newsies is about youth empowerment and lifting each other up,” says Penny & Pound Executive Director Piper J. Distel, “It’s amazing to see this group of young people forming amazing friendships and being authentically themselves. They’re each other’s biggest cheerleaders and it warms my heart. Especially since theatre can often be an incredibly competitive and toxic environment. At the top of every rehearsal, I ask that the performers look to the person next to them and say one thing they love about that person. It’s so beautiful to hear the kind things they say about each other, considering most of them were strangers four months ago.”
Matinee and evening performances run July 25 to 28 at the Guelph Little Theatre at 176 Morris St., Guelph.
For more information, visit pennyandpoundtheatre.com or contact [email protected].
