Photo Flash: Inside First Rehearsal For Arena Stage's NEWSIES

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater presents Disney's Tony Award-winning musical Newsies, an inspiring story about kids who fight for what is right at the turn of the century, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman and book by Harvey Fierstein. Inspired by the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City, this family-friendly musical follows the story of newsboys and newsgirls who dream of a better life and lead a crusade for justice. Just in time for the holidays, the score features fan favorites, including "King of New York," "Carrying the Banner" and "Seize the Day." Newsies, directed by Molly Smith, with choreography by Parker Esse and music direction by Laura Bergquist, will run November 1-December 22, 2019 in the iconic in-the-round Fichandler Stage.

Newsies will feature Daniel J. Maldonado (Emerson Colonial Theatre's Moulin Rogue!) as Jack Kelly and D.C. actress Erin Weaver (Arena's Mother Courage) as Katherine Plumber with Edward Gero (Arena's Junk and The Originalist) as Joseph Pulitzer. Making their Arena Stage debuts are Joe Montoya as Crutchie and both Josiah Smothers (The National Theatre's Finding Neverland) and Hazel Hay as Les Jacobs.

Joining the cast are Arena veterans Ethan Van Slyke (Arena's Oliver!) as Davey Jacobs, Thomas Adrian Simpson (Arena's Anything Goes) as Wiesel, as well as D.C. native Nova Payton (Arena's Smokey Joe's Café) as Medda Larkin.

This front-page cast also includes Rory Boyd as Oscar Delancey, Wyn Delano as Snyder the Spider, Michael Hewitt as Morris Delancey and ensemble members Christian Douglas, Jamie Smithson and Carole Denise Jones.

Rounding out the Newsies company are Emre Ocak, Chaz Wolcott, Tro Shaw, Bridget Riley, Luke Spring (Broadway's A Christmas Story, The Musical), Michael John Hughes, Tomas Matos, Tanner Pflueger, Matthew Davies and Kelli Youngman as the newsies with swings Lucy Spring and Shiloh Orr.