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Sterling College Theatre Newsies cast announced
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COURTESY PHOTO Five “Newsies” from the 35-member cast of the upcoming Sterling College Theater musical are pictured here: Luke Harding of Sterling plays the leading character Jack Kelly (standing, left);s Aubrey Anderson (Sterling) who plays Crutchie; and Dylan Werth (Hays) who plays Davey; Torey Wilson from Rural Hill, N.C., who plays newsie Albert; and Rachel Thomson from Hutchinson who is playing Buttons and also acting as choreographer and dance captain for the show.

STERLING – Jack Kelly, Crutchie, Davey and the rest of the unstoppable New York paperboys from Disney’s Newsies the Musical are coming to the Sterling College Theatre stage Oct. 14-17. The Tony-award winning music Newsies is a powerful dance musical that tells the story of the New York paperboys known as “newsies” as they fight to win fair wages from newspaper tycoon Joseph Pulitzer. 

Based on the historical New York newsies strike of 1899, Newsies tells the story of the (fictional) Jack Kelly, as he leads his fellow newsies to stand against unfair treatment from the newspaper companies. With help from a young reporter, Katherine Plumber, Jack and his friends have a chance to change their world, but when the strike doesn’t turn out as planned, the entire movement teeters on the edge of collapse. 

The strike will fail unless all the newsies of New York, from Brooklyn to the Bronx, seize the day and stand together to make their voices heard. 

Jack Kelly will be played by Luke Harding of Sterling. Davey will be played by Dylan Werth of Hays. His younger sibling, Les, will be played by Leila Callan of Sterling. Keeley Coon of Eureka will pay Katherine Plumber. Crutchie will be played by Aubrey Anderson of Sterling. Bryson Brownlee of Sterling will play Joseph Pulitzer, and Addison Owens of Wichita will play Meda Larkin. 

Manhattan newsies will be played by Sterling College students Josh Morris (Hutchinson), Torey Wilson (Rural Valley, N.C.), Nick Gift (Peabody), Jake Pieplow (Sterling), Nick Amezola (Corona, Calif.), Justin Barton (Tulsa Okla.), Dawson Urwiller (Hutchinson), Rachel Thomson (Hutchinson), Zion Bacci (Wichita), Kaitlyn Lumbert (Wichita), John Williams (St. Louis, Mo.), Anna Cortez (El Paso, Texas), O’Brien Hall (Plano, Texas) and Kendra Klaassen (Hutchinson). 

Those playing other characters include Nilo Reynoso (Long Beach, Calif.), Alicia DeHaan (Salina), Kedric Spurgin (Pratt), Ava Bachert (Lyons), Cody Brooks (Sterling), John Hoover (Wichita), Maria Urwiller (Hutchinson), Ian Diaz (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) and Robbie Stansbury (Lyons). 

Borough newsies will be played by Brooklyn Nisly (Hutchinson), Rachel Townson (Wichita), Macy Brownlee (Sterling), Mattie Blackburn (Clay Center) and Caleb Brownlee (Sterling). 

Newsies will be directed by Sterling College Theatre Artistic Director Sasha Hildebrand with Sterling College Vocal Music Director Marisa Callan as musical director. Technical Theater faculty member Stephen English is designing the set. 

All performances of Disney’s Newsies will take place in Culbertson Auditorium on the Sterling College campus. Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday performance will begin at 2 p.m. Doors open half an hour prior to performance. 

Tickets are available online at sterling-college.ticketleap.com and will also be sold at the door and online. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students.