The Sacred Heart Greenwich Upper School theatre department seized the day with this weekend’s production of Newsies.  Under the direction of Miss Michaela Gorman ’05, Upper School Drama Teacher and Director of Drama Productions, the cast filled the Lennie and John de Csepel Theatre with laughter and song during their performances Saturday, March 2 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 3 at 3 p.m.  Through emotional portrayals and dance choreography, the student actresses told the story of the struggles and triumphs that the New York City paper boys faced in 1899. 

Newsies depicts the story of a newsboy named Jack Kelly who dreams of a better life beyond the streets of Manhattan.  In the Upper School’s production, senior Bianca Shively portrayed this leader of a group of teenage newsboys, or “newsies,” who make little money selling papers.  Jack opens the show by sharing his dreams of moving to Santa Fe with his best friend Crutchie, (junior Ava Clear).  The newsies’ lives become more difficult when Joseph Pulitzer of The World, (junior Colette Minton), raises distribution prices at the children’s expense.  In response to this increase, Jack rallies the newspaper boys from across the city’s boroughs and leads them in a strike in order to fight for equity.

Senior Anna Oliver and junior Natasha Stewart played brothers Davey and Les who hope to make money for their family by joining the newsies and selling papers.  Jack agrees to help them learn the ropes of the newspaper business.

Anna’s character Davey becomes a vital part of the newsies group as the show progresses and encourages all the boys to join the strike against Pulitzer.  The choreographer of this production of Newsies was Sacred Heart alumna Miss Gabrielle (Gabby) Giacomo ’15.  Anna shared that her favorite part of working on Newsies was the dancing.  

“Our choreographer, Miss Giacomo, allowed us to add in a lot of our own tricks and choreography, and the result adds to the overall feel of camaraderie in Newsies,” Anna said.  “It also encourages us as a cast to cheer each other on, as many of our dance numbers require ‘crowd noise’ to add ambiance to each number.”

The musical takes inspiration from the real-life Newsboys’ Strike of 1899.  The newsboys of New York City went against two publishers, Mr. Joseph Pulitzer and Mr. William Randolph Hearst of The Journal, to earn fair pay.  At the time, demand for newspapers was booming due to the Spanish-American War.  Following this surge, however, newspaper sales declined.  This led to the exploitation of the newsies as publishers did not lower the price per paper to adjust to this new lack of demand.  The newsboys decided to strike to show the importance of their jobs to the newspaper business.

In the musical, the police attack the newsies, and Jack debates whether the strike is too dangerous.  Davey convinces him to continue to lead the strike for the sake of the rights of all child workers.  Seniors Ila David and Genny Grey depict Katherine and Medda Larkin, who also encourage Jack.  Katherine is a motivated young journalist who wants to make a name for herself and decides to write a story about the newsies’ strike.  Medda Larkin is a performer and one of Jack’s good friends who offers her theatre as a safe haven for the newsies.

Anna shared her favorite line from the show: “It’s not just about pennies. My family wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in if my father had a union.  This is a fight we have to win.” She reflected that this line emphasizes the greater purpose behind the strike.

Newsies is Anna’s fifth Sacred Heart production, as she has also been a part of Into the Woods, Our Town, Anastasia, and Frankenstein.  Anna has valued the community while working on these productions and the teamwork needed to be successful on stage.  As Newsies was Anna’s final Sacred Heart production, she reflected on the community of the cast and crew. 

“Everyone supports each other, and we all have the same purpose of creating a beautiful show,” Anna said.  “Newsies is a show that relies on the cast working as a team and showcasing the interpersonal relationships between characters.  A good dynamic is crucial to the emotional core of the story, and I believe that our friendship as a cast shines through in the show.  I’ve had a wonderful time acting in these shows, especially because of the people that I am lucky enough to act alongside, and while I’m a little sad that this will be my last show, I’m genuinely proud of the cast and crew.”

Featured Image by Brianna Timlin ’26