From the Music Director...
Newsies is my 35th and last show in the Downingtown Area School District. There, I wrote it. And, as happy as I am to be moving on to other things, there will always be a part of me that will miss terribly the joys and struggles of putting on a show with middle schoolers.
It is so appropriate that Newsies is my last show here. The movie version was released in 1992 (I started teaching here in 1991) and I think that every year since then I have found an excuse to show it to my classes. We have performed selections from the movie in concerts and both the students and I have always loved it. When the broadway version was released in 2012, my reaction was, “FINALLY!!” Like most of us, the characters are a little rough around the edges. The music is memorable. The dances, though exhausting from a director’s perspective (Thank you-Barbara, Grace and Julia!!!) are so much fun to watch. What’s NOT to like?
The message I take away from the show, and from my 36 years of teaching mostly middle schoolers, is that kids can do anything they put their minds to. I have always seen the teacher part of me as a person who enables kids to become the best that they can be–sometimes by encouraging, sometimes by prodding, sometimes by stronger means–but always with the goal in mind of giving them the tools they need to be their best selves on stage and off. No matter where I put the bar, they always meet it and this is why I have loved this part of my career so much.
Thank you to the student cast and crew of Newsies for coming out of a pandemic and still showing us that middle schoolers can put on a show! Thank you to our High School student directors who do so much to keep the adult directors sane! Thank you parent volunteers for filling the gaps for the jobs that must be done!
To my adult staff both now and those in the past, thank you for always catching my vision! Never could we have achieved the things we have done here without your dedication and hard work. It’s a fine thing to have a vision but what you really need as a leader is good people to bring it to fruition. My heart is full of love and appreciation for each of you.
The Downingtown community became an unexpected home for me back in 1991. Thank you to all of the families whose children I have been privileged to teach here over the years. Thanks for the wonderful memories!
Seize the Day!!
Floyd Rawleigh
From the Drama Director:
“If we stand as one, someday becomes somehow.”- Newsies
Newsies, as brought to life by the amazing student performers and technicians of Downingtown Middle School, recounts a story of how young people–even when facing seemingly insurmountable challenges–have the power to change the world.
This group of students have worked tirelessly after school and on weekends to prepare the amazing show you will see tonight. In those days and weeks, they have relied on their teachers, instructors, and friends, but they could not have done it without the support of their parents/guardians, high school student directors, and our community. It truly takes a village.
To the amazing Newsies cast and crew: It has been an absolute pleasure to work with all of you and watch you grow. I hope this show taught you that your voice matters and that you should always have “Something to Believe In.” I love you all, and I hope your love of theater is always with you. You all have so much to look forward to! Never forget that ``The world is yer erster!”
Alison Nugent
