High school production of ‘Newsies’ opens this weekend

Addie Nevitt oversees many things as the head stage manager, but she’s also the co-head of set, the co-head of the run crew, and she lends a hand in costumes and props. In other words, Addie does everything, another student says, so she has a lot going on today.

“Hair and makeup is not happening today — that won’t happen until Wednesday,” she says to a passing group of students.

It’s Monday at 4:30 p.m., and there are four days left before the premiere of the Champlain Valley Union High School’s production of “Newsies,” a historical musical and drama that was produced by Walt Disney Pictures in 1992. As is true of most theater productions, there’s a mix of excitement and dread building as the show’s opening nears.

But for the 70 students making up the cast and crew, this year comes with a sense of stability. For seniors, it’s the first year COVID-19 hasn’t had a hand in production delays or all out stoppages.

Their freshman year fall production, “Mama Mia,” stopped dead in its tracks two weeks before opening thanks to a huge spike in Covid in Vermont. They ended up performing outside to comply with social distancing guidelines. Their sophomore production of “Something Rotten” was also mired by stoppages.

And through its four years, CVU’s theater program has had four different directors — one of whom left outright in the middle of production. So, Elisa Van Duyne serves as a guiding presence for a group of students who have had quite a tumultuous experience throughout their performing arts careers.

“They’ve had a lot of change over the last couple of years, with different directors that have come in and out,” she said. “I wanted to choose a show that really was an ensemble piece that really celebrated the ensemble and made what I hope — and so far, it’s come to fruition — everybody is appreciated, everybody feels like they are an integral part of the show.”

For the students, Van Duyne has given the students “a really good way of communicating with the actors that makes the learning process really smooth,” Veronica Miskavage, a senior, said. “It’s been a great learning environment.”

Given the times, this year’s production is apropos. New union strikes pop up every week nowadays. From Hollywood and Detroit to Portland, Oreg., just last week, union activism and the battle for fair working conditions and more equitable pay has come to a head this year.

The “Newsies,” loosely based on the New York City Newsboys’ Strike of 1899, follows 17-year-old Jack “Cowboy” Kelly, who works as a newspaper hawker selling copies of the New York World on the streets on Manhattan.

New York World publisher Joseph Pulitzer raises the prices required for newsies to buy newspapers from his distribution centers, galvanizing Kelly and his fellow newsies to go on strike.

“It’s still relevant to this day,” said Cole Williams, a senior who is playing Jack Kelly.

Van Duyne has appeared on Broadway in “42nd Street,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “110 in the Shade” and “Finian’s Rainbow.” She’s taught theater in schools in both New Jersey and New York and says this year’s production is important for the students “to help rebuild that trust in the program.”

Just as important is telling the story.

“Yes, it’s got great dancing and really catchy songs,” she says to the students, “but it’s also a story about social justice, about a group of people who have been marginalized.”

“These were kids predominantly from poor immigrant families in the city,” she said. “And we continue in this country to abuse marginalized communities. We all have an obligation to tell the story of this group of kids who had the guts, the Moxie to stand up against capitalistic, wealthy business owners … And these Newsies and anybody who’s from marginalized communities deserve your focus and your energy to tell the story.”

For the students, the program has provided them with a medium of expression that allows them to “show parts of yourself and discover yourself,” Williams said. “It grew to be a way for me to really express myself.”

“It just makes me feel really alive and excited to be doing something that I’m good at, and to have other people who are also just excited to see it,” Miskavage said. “It’s just the energy of it.”

The show will premiere this Friday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m., with shows on Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., as well as a Sunday matinee at 1 p.m.

Tickets go for $10, while children, students and school faculty and staff can purchase tickets for $8. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketsource.us/cvutheater.

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Corrected Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, to add "Van" in each reference to Elisa Van Duyne. Updated a quote to say that "directors that have come in and out,” not musical directors.