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Newsies release news release (see what we did there?)

Posted on by Posted in 2018 - Newsies .

The Tony Award-winning Broadway phenomenon, NEWSIES is coming to Moorhead Theater this November 9-11, 16-18, 23 and 24. The show is based on the historical newsboy strike of 1899 that shook the ivory towers of William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. It leaps onto the stage with soul stirring music, amazing heart, and stunning choreography.

Newsies, the musical, tells the story of how a band of underdogs took on the most powerful names in New York in a fight for what’s right. The poor and orphaned teenagers, selling newspapers for a penny a paper, are pushed to the limit when newspaper moguls Hearst and Pulitzer try to take away more of their meager profits. Jack Kelly becomes the leader who rallies the newsies from across the city to take a stand and strike against the most powerful publishers in the country. Their cause becomes even bigger than any of the newsies imagined when they realize they’re fighting for all the children working in unfair and unsafe conditions across the nation.

Minutes after the rights became available, Director Rebecca Meyer-Larson scooped up the opportunity to produce the show. “The original movie has a cult following, and I am definitely part of that cult. It took Broadway success and 25 years for it to finally be released to amatueur theaters – but it was definitely worth the wait! In light of a resurgence of youth activism like the March for Our Lives movement, the history inherent in this story is especially relevant,” says Meyer-Larson.

Disney’s NEWSIES the Broadway Musical will be performed at the Moorhead High School auditorium November 9, 10, 16, 17,  23, and 24. at 7:30 PM with 2 p.m. matinees on November 11 & 18. Tickets can be reserved online at http://www.MoorheadSchools.org/tix or by calling the MHS Activities Office at 218-284-2255 beginning October 26. Moorhead High Theatre strives to make its performances and facilities accessible to all patrons. On November 11, we will have a sign-language interpreted performance.For tickets for this performance or if you need additional assistance, please contact our Activities Office.Ticket prices are $11 for adults and $7 for students.

Moorhead High School’s musical theater department has been awarded the Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Spotlight Musical Theater Award for Production Excellence in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.  

For more information, or to schedule an interview, please email Rebecca Meyer-Larson at rmlarson@moorheadschools.org or call 218-284-2371.

 

Newsies: An “unreal experience” for senior Alex Siegel

Posted on by Posted in 2018 - Newsies .

Being a senior in Moorhead High School’s production of “NEWSIES” is an unreal experience. Growing up through this program has changed me in so many ways and has really helped me to grow as a person. There are many lessons that each cast has taught me that have aided in my academic and social life. I have learned how to speak confidently for job interviews, how to stay organized and on top of everything in my life, and most importantly; I have learned how to make lasting friendships and families with those around me. One thing I have definitely learned from this is how fast my time in high school has gone by; I remember freshman year listening to my seniors give their senior speeches and each of them saying “cherish your time, it goes by quicker than you think”, I never really realized that until it came time for auditions for “NEWSIES” and I was just left there thinking “Wow, we’re already here… It’s already time for my last production on Moorhead High School’s stage.”

Senior year brings its own responsibilities and excitements. Now we get to run all of the initiations and all of the fun events during EM break. The fun thing to think is that everyone looks up to us throughout this program, meaning that when they see that all of us seniors who are so close to each other get along so well, that they get a taste of what they should hopefully end up like their senior year. Just knowing that this is our last show, I think I speak for all the seniors when I say that we are going to make sure that the entire production of “NEWSIES” is one of the best ones we’ve had in years, because who doesn’t want their last production at their high school to be the one they remember for years to come. I also cannot wait to see how this year’s freshman grow and mature throughout the years when I come back as an alumni to this program but, I can tell you this… this production of  “NEWSIES” and this amazing cast is one you will not want to miss!

More details about tickets

Posted on by Posted in 2018 - Newsies .

You asked for it! Here is the latest information about tickets. For more details go to the Box Office tab at the top of this page. And be sure to follow us on Facebook!

Disney’s NEWSIES the Broadway Musical will be performed at the Moorhead High School auditorium November 9, 10, 16, 17,  23, and 24. at 7:30 PM with 2 p.m. matinees on November 11 & 18. Tickets can be reserved online at http://www.MoorheadSchools.org/tix or by calling the MHS Activities Office at 218-284-2255 beginning October 30th. Moorhead High Theatre strives to make its performances and facilities accessible to all patrons. On November 11, we will have a sign-language interpreted performance. For tickets for this performance or if you need additional assistance, please contact our Activities Office.

Carrying the Banner at the Moorhead High Homecoming Parade

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Newsies comes to MHS

Posted on by Posted in 2018 - Newsies .

Disney’s Newsies is Moorhead High School Theater’s 2018 Fall production.

It’s time to carry the banner on your stage with Disney’s Newsies!

Set in turn-of-the century New York City, Newsies is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a band of teenaged “newsies.” When titans of publishing raise distribution prices at the newsboys’ expense, Jack rallies newsies from across the city to strike against the unfair conditions and fight for what’s right.

BASED ON A TRUE STORY Newsies is based on the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899. The New York newsies – boys and girls who sold newspapers on the street – went up against two newspaper publishers, Joseph Pulitzer of the New York World and William Randolph Hearst of the New York Journal, to fight for the chance to earn a livable wage. The Spanish-American War made New Yorkers hungry for headlines, and circulation boomed as a result. Once the war ended, people were less inclined to buy newspapers – war was bad for the world, but great for the newspaper business. The strike was the result of the newspaper publishers refusing to lower the newsies’ cost-per-paper back down to the pre- war prices. The newsies were not willing to pay more for their papers to make up for a lack of headlines, so they decided to strike – their goal was to make the newspaper tycoons treat them as legitimate members of the business.

Newsies sell their “papes.” Photo by Alice Austen (1896) – Not Robby Njos

Striking for two weeks, from July 20 to August 2, 1899, the newsies eventually came to a compromise with the publishers: The price would stay the same, but the publishers would buy back any papers that the newsies couldn’t sell. This was a significant moment in history: It was one of the first strikes carried out by children and it ended in compromise. The kids succeeded!

Selling newspapers was a lucrative and freeing enterprise for young children at the turn of the 20th century. The newsies of New York City were popularly admired as “little merchants,” for unlike children working in factories, the newsies were free to set their own hours and determine how many papers they would sell each day. However, the newspaper controlled the wholesale price and kids commonly worked up to 14 hours per day to make enough money to survive. It wasn’t unusual for newsies to exaggerate the headlines or make up sad stories about themselves to sell more papers. They would often fumble and stall while making change in the hopes that the customer would get impatient and let them keep the difference.

While there were newsgirls as well as newsboys, they were less common. One reason for this is that localities that had age limits for labor often required that working girls be older than working boys. In some states, girls had to be 16 to sell newspapers but boys only had to be 10. Newsies were most frequently between 11 and 15 years old, and a large portion of urban children worked as newsies at some point, even if just temporarily. Newsies came from nearly every ethnic group, so it was class that most defined them; the vast majority came from working class families that did not control their own businesses.

Based on the 1992 motion picture and inspired by a true story, Newsies features a Tony Award- winning score by Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors, Sister Act) and Jack Feldman and a book by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots). Featuring the now classic songs “Carrying the Banner,” “Seize the Day,” and “Santa Fe,” Newsies is packed with non-stop thrills, epic choreography, and a timeless message, perfect for the whole family and every audience. Mark your calendars now! The show runs in November, 2018!

The production at Moorhead High school will be lead by the artistic team of Rebecca Meyer-Larson (Director), Annie Richards (Music Director), and choreographer to the stars, Meleah LePlante. Along with a skilled team of designers, this show is sure to be a hit.