KIDSTAGE
Inside The Show: Disney’s Newsies JR.
EXTRA EXTRA: READ ALL ABOUT IT!
We got the inside scoop from Charlie Johnson, director of our student-performed production of Disney’s Newsies JR.
VILLAGE THEATRE: What is unique about this student-performed production of Disney’s Newsies JR.?
CHARLIE JOHNSON: Often in professional productions of this show, the newsies are played by 20-something-year-olds. In our production, you’re seeing these kids at the actual ages they would be historically. I think that adds an authenticity and a novelty to our production that you don’t always get with Newsies.
VT: What is your favorite song in the show and why?
CJ: I think it would have to be “King of New York.” I love the syncopation of the rhythm, and I love seeing these kids who are poor and lowest of class feeling like they are on top of the world. It’s absolutely joyous. I also have a soft spot for “Santa Fe.” What a terrific, aching ‘I want’ song. The musical intervals of the chorus are haunting and beautiful to me.
VT: What are students learning throughout the rehearsal process?
CJ: Hopefully, they are gaining a comprehensive understanding of how a show is produced from beginning to end. I try to breakdown each step in the process as we go. From first read-through, to designer run, to sitzprobe, to tech: I’m teaching why each step is necessary for making a show and the function it’s serving. I’m also teaching about story structure as we go through the piece. Lastly, I’m trying to activate each student’s critical eye. Don’t tell me you like something or dislike something. Tell me specifically WHAT engaged you, or didn’t, and WHY.
VT: Who should come see this show, and WHY? 😉
CJ: Anyone who needs to renew their belief that things CAN change, things DO get better, and that when we stick together, we succeed. This production gives you hope for the future…and perhaps, the present.
CHARLIE JOHNSON, (Director). Regional credits: Union Arts Center, Arrow Rock Lyceum, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Barnstormer’s Theatre, Bay Street Theater, Flat Rock Playhouse, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, North Carolina Theater, Paper Mill Playhouse, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Seattle Rep, Taproot Theatre, Village Theatre, and The 5th Avenue Theatre. He has developed new musicals with The Rev Theater Company, New York Theater Barn, The Dramatists’ Guild, and Musical Theater Factory, and has assisted Tonywinner Michael Arden, Adam Immerwahr, and Denis Jones. BFA: Elon University.
Disney’s Newsies JR.
A Student-Performed Production
APR 17–MAY 3, 2026
HUNT FAMILY THEATRE, ISSAQUAH