Disney's Tony Award-Winning Musical NEWSIES to Make Australian and New Zealand Cinema Debut

Disney Theatrical Productions and Arts Alliance Distribution, Ltd. are proud to announce that Arts Alliance will serve as the international distributor of the Tony® Award-winning musical NEWSIES, which will make its worldwide cinema debut starting February 19 2017, meaning international audiences will experience this legendary musical in cinemas for the very first time. In addition to handling international territories, Arts Alliance will also handle distribution to art houses in the United States.

"From the very beginning, the stage adaptation of NEWSIES has had an exciting and entirely unexpected journey, propelled by the show's passionate fan base," said Thomas Schumacher, president & producer, Disney Theatrical Productions. "We are thrilled to be working with Arts Alliance and to have had Tony-nominee Jeremy Jordan and members of the original Broadway company join the North American touring cast as we take NEWSIES on its next exciting chapter, reaching new audiences around the world."

Nick Varley, co-CEO of Arts Alliance Distribution said "We are pleased to be working with our colleagues at Disney Theatrical Productions to bring this very special production of NEWSIES to cinema screens across the world. NEWSIES is one of the most successful family musicals of our time and this big screen outing will allow audiences in both urban and rural locations worldwide to experience the spectacle of a Broadway show from the comfort of their local cinema".

Inspired by the real-life 'Newsboy Strike of 1899,' NEWSIES is set in New York City at the turn of the century and tells the tale of newsboy Jack Kelly, a charismatic and rebellious leader of a group of "newsies" who dreams of a life far from the hardship of the streets. When publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raise distribution prices at the newsboys' expense, Jack rallies his army of newsies to strike.

Based on the 1992 film, the fan following for NEWSIES became a phenomenon over the years since its release on home video, becoming Disney's single most requested title to be adapted for the stage.

NEWSIES, the Broadway Musical, features a Tony Award-winning score with music by eight-time Academy Award® winner Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin) and lyrics by Jack Feldman, Tony Award-winning choreography by Christopher Gattelli , and book by four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots) and is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions.

The New York Times called NEWSIES as "a stirring crowd pleaser" and Entertainment Weekly described it as an "irresistible, high-energy winner". Jeremy Jordan (Supergirl, The Last 5 Years) will be reprising his Tony Award-nominated performance as "Jack Kelly" when NEWSIES: THE BROADWAY MUSICAL hits cinemas in February 2017.