"Why is everyone so scared of Brooklyn?"
Well, back in 1886, the Brooklyn newsboys were in a violent battle. Who were they fighting? It wasn't corporate power. Not yet, at least. They were fighting each other, a brutal struggle between the newsies of Brooklyn and those in neighboring Williamsburg over wage increases. This battle was the first documented newsboy strike. It wasn't until thirteen years later, when our musical takes place, that Brooklyn's rough and tough newsies would have to stop the violence, band together with their newsboy counterparts of Manhattan, and face the world against a much larger force. And change things for the better.
"Newsies" is based on the real-life Newsboy Strike that occurred in the hot summer of 1899, when young kids who sold newspapers on street corners, many of whom were orphans, homeless, and from immigrant families, went up against publishing giants Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst to fight for the chance to earn a livable wage. During this time, thousands of young boys and girls filled the streets of New York where they organized rallies and delivered rousing speeches at demonstrations. After two weeks, the scrappiest and poorest kids in the city were able to paralyze the New York press and force America’s wealthiest newspaper tycoons to rethink their unfair labor practices.
But underneath the screaming headlines, splashy dances, and all that ‘extra! extra!’ enthusiasm is a story about the power of art, and how it can impact change. Playwright Harvey Fierstein was particularly inspired by the influence of art in our politics, most noticeably, Paul Revere’s drawing of the Boston Massacre. When it got published in newspapers, its vivid imagery helped ignite the Revolutionary War. Using that as a springboard, Fierstein centered our story around a 17-year old boy named Jack, an orphaned dreamer and artist, who longs to escape the dangerous working conditions of New York and reinvent his life out west. As we researched the play, the characters in our story became role models for all of us: the young kid who uses his artistic talent as a force for good; the intrepid female reporter who overcomes gender barriers to establish herself as a serious female journalist of her time; and the scores of young newsies who, despite their hardships, find gratitude and joy in their work every single day.
Telling this univesal story has been a remarkable journey for our company. We have learned that these young kids in 1899 were just a tiny link in the history-long chain of movements fueled by young people. We looked at passionate young people from different eras, and found impressive catalysts for change: from the Greensboro Sit-Ins in 1960 to the drama students of Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, who would launch a movement when 17 people were gunned down in their school. We’re proud that our musical sends a very clear message to our youth: you may feel powerless as a young child, but the world will one day be yours, so take charge of it and seize the day!
Just like the Manhattan and Brooklyn Newsies, we have learned how to work together as a family. We embraced our study of the time period, created truthful characters with real dreams, constructed period costumes, developed stage combat techniques, and mastered the many dance challenges. Most importantly, we learned about the power of true friendship and how we can work to achieve our musical theatre dreams.
As always, we are grateful to our administration, our terrific Boosters Committee, and our Fine Arts Supervisor Michael Fackelman for supporting our efforts to perform live theatre. So while it is one of the most difficult shows we have attempted, we have become better technicians, better actors, and better friends- proving ‘Once and For All,’ that the power of theatre will always bring us together.
Tim Lynch
Director of Theatre Arts, Ridge HS
