ISHPEMING — Over 50 students from Ishpeming High School will perform their production of the Broadway musical “Newsies” scored by Alan Menken beginning on Thursday, Apr. 18 at the W.C. Peterson Auditorium.

This production is directed, choreographed and music directed by Caitlin Palomaki, assistant directed by Cora Nicholas, assistant choreographed by Emily Morton, and stage managed by Westwood High School student Olivia Letson alongside Cora and Emily as the production stage managers.

Based on the 1992 Disney film of the same name, and inspired by the true tale of the New York City Newsboy’s strike of 1899, this award-winning musical will take you through the ups and downs of this piece of history with its added flare and fictional elements.

With his influence, charisma, and rebellious attitude so fitting for the turn of the century, Jack Kelly (Luke Laitinen) takes on his rivals and guides his fellow “newsies” to an exciting feat.

When the kingmakers of publishing faced pressure to make more money due to newspaper circulation being down, the owner of the New York World Joseph Pulitzer (Aden Bischoff) raised the price of papers from 50¢ per 100 to 60¢ per 100, thus requiring the newsies to work even harder to make the same amount of money as before. All while avoiding the crooked refuge owner Snyder (Logan Mathias), and the police, Jack and the newsies must work their way through these struggles and diminish the injustices that they have to face each day out on the dangerous streets. Jack establishes a newsboy union with the help of his friends Davey (Jaxon Foster) and Les Jacobs (William Mathis), Crutchie (Julien Herman), and Katherine Plumber (Jaylyn Willey), and together they rally across the city and demand fair treatment and pay for all young workers.

People of all ages are bound to be inspired by this story of perseverance, love, pride, and friendship. Director Caitlin Palomaki says “I hope the community comes out and shows their support for a wonderful group of students. As with every theatrical production, countless hours are spent rehearsing and we hope to have a great turnout. The cast is not your typical ‘theater kids’ as they are all pretty new to acting. However, they add their own fun Ishpeming flavor to the show.”

Performances of “Newsies” are scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. at the W.C. Peterson Auditorium on Thursday, Apr. 18; Friday, Apr. 19; and Saturday, Apr. 20; with an additional matinee performance at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 20.

Tickets are on sale now: $10 for general admission, $5 for students (18 and under). Tickets are available in the Ishpeming High School office, at Congress Pizzas, or at the door. Cash or checks made payable to Ishpeming Public Schools are accepted.