Welcome to the Colonial Players’ production of Newsies. We are grateful to have you join us for this exciting show. Opening night of this production marks 1,098 days since the Colonial Players have performed a live spring musical. Our last live spring production was Legally Blonde on March 9, 2019. There are only eight students in Newsies that were part of that production, freshmen at the time, so we have spent the last three months teaching the cast and crew what it means to be a Colonial Player.
Due to the nature of Newsies and the variety of needed skills, we were happy to welcome many students who have traditionally not been a part of the theater into our production. Our cast and crew number upwards of 100 students. We have welcomed in tumblers from the worlds of cheer and gymnastics, tappers from the world of competitive dance, and a whole chorus of Brooklyn Newsies composed of athletes, musicians, actors and others - many making their stage debut on opening night. On the technical side, we have many new students sharing their talents in the areas of lighting, scenic design, construction, sound, marketing, makeup, costumes, production and management.
We also welcomed some new staff members this year. I am thrilled to welcome back three Players’ alumni: Angel Sigala (2014) returned to choreograph, Lindsey Dale (2010) took over the role of Costumer/Makeup supervisor - as well as Assistant Choreographer, and Cooper Smith (2015) re-joined us as Art Director. All have made a huge impact on this show and are welcomed additions to the staff. Special thanks and deep gratitude go out to those staff members who left us this year: Paul Marro (Art Director 2009 - 2020) and Barb Sharavsky (Costumes/Makeup 2008 - 2020). Paul and Barb have been a core of our program for over a decade. We hope that they are happy and know that they are missed. Additionally, Megan Barone (Choreographer 2020-2021) took a leave this spring as she had a beautiful baby boy in February.
As always, it has been my pleasure to work with our talented staff and students. Everyone involved brings joy, talent, and humor to our rehearsals. Even more importantly, they bring a passion for working together and building something great. Hundreds of hours have been spent preparing this performance through vocal and acting rehearsals, set construction, and makeup training, just to name a few. Everyone has worked very hard this year; especially our Newsies. In addition to vocal, dance and blocking rehearsals, this group had tap lessons every Friday and three a week cardio workouts to prepare for the show.
I will close with a few gratitudes. Thank you to the students for their talent and kindness that they share every day. Thank you to the Colonial Players’ staff for their time and dedication. Thank you to the PW and CSD Administration for their support of the arts. And finally, thank you to my wife Carrie, and sons: Luke, Lance and Bryce who are my biggest cheerleaders. Their sacrifice and generosity in the sharing of our time so that I can be a part of this magical group.
Enjoy the show,
M. Engel
