The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton theater students are excited for their time to shine with the musical “Newsies.” This production will hit the stage from Thursday, November 7, to Saturday, November 9.
One of the exciting things about this production is the number of seniors involved. While last season, there were only a handful of seniors out for the musical (and only a few then-juniors), this year features a solid cast of them.
“We are very excited to share this musical with everyone,” said Lead Director Teagan Knoblich.
Helping Knoblich with this production are Music Director Becky Borneke, Technical Director Melanie Morrow, and student directors Eric Daschner and Ava McNair; both seniors were also student directors in last year’s production of “Matilda.” Brook Ling is this year’s choreographer, with occasional help from sophomore Annie Fuerstenberg. Unlike the past three years, where there was a pit band, there will not be one for this year’s musical.
Seniors Eric Daschner, Ariana Aguilar, and Ava Appel are incredibly excited about this year’s musical. Daschner may be more excited than anyone. “This musical has been a dream of mine to do for so long,” he said.
Between the three of them, they all have plenty of experience in musicals. Aguilar and Appel were involved since their sophomore years, but Daschner has been involved in most productions since seventh grade, with one additional appearance in a musical in fourth grade.
Daschner will be taking the role of Jack Kelly, the leader of several struggling newspaper street vendors who, back in the day, were nicknamed “Newsies.” Aguilar will be playing his love interest, Katherine, while Appel will be taking on the role of Les Jacobs (originally a male role).
When asked about the most interesting part of this year’s production, Aguilar responded, “The dancing and navigating our way around the stage. It’s been different from the previous years.”
“For me, it has to be seeing all the characters all together and having different interpretations of how their character acts,” Appel said.
Daschner was just excited to be doing this musical. “I think it’s so much fun to see that dream of being able to do this musical come true,” he said. “I’ve been able to embrace my character, and everyone else is embracing their characters, too. It’s been a lot of fun going through that. The storyline is amazing; the music’s even better. And even what the story’s based on…it’s a very empowering story that encompasses a lot of different ideas.”
However, Aguilar and Daschner warn that audiences shouldn’t expect the musical to be the same as the 1992 film. Aguilar especially pointed out that one of the main reporters in the movie is a female in the Broadway production. Katherine, Aguilar’s role, is also not as prominent in the movie as she is in the Broadway version.
“I think they wanted to originally wanted to adapt from the movie to the musical,” Daschner added. “But it’s so much more than that. I find it hard to think of the movie and the musical as the same thing. People who come and watch this show shouldn’t have any assumptions about what the movie is like.”
Going off of that, the three seniors want audiences to expect a great time. “There are lots of funny jokes,” Aguilar said.
“The best part about ‘Newsies’ is that it has everything…inspiring ballads, soft and somber numbers, huge dance breaks,” Daschner added. “Audiences should feel the power that our production has.”
Appel said audiences should expect it to be “a hundred times better” than the past productions. That’s quite a bit of pressure, Ava! But she feels this way because, “I think this year, we’ve been putting in a bunch more work than in the past. I think that’s going to show.”
Borneke is ecstatic about the music end of things. “We’re two weeks out and already in such good shape,” she said. “We usually are good with having the melody down, but these kids are taking on the harmonies, too.”
Although Borneke claimed that “Seize the Day” – probably the most well-known song from “Newsies” – was her favorite at one point, she’s grown a soft spot for the final number, “Once and For All.” “They sing it with so much passion,” she said.
This group is so dedicated that Knoblich brought a speaker into rehearsal. This speaker specialized in theater (and often brought up opera) to take notes and give constructive criticism, tips, and words of encouragement to the cast.
“There is a lot of enthusiasm about this musical,” Knoblich said. “We want to keep that up as much as possible for opening night. We’re going to have a great time this year.”
