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Archived on May 19, 2026
The 91̽ Community Theatre Arts program presents “NEWSIES,” the Broadway musical at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 25, 26 and 27 and at 2 p.m. Oct. 28 in the Ferguson Fine Arts Center Theatre, 2998 W. Pearl City Rd., Freeport, Ill.
“NEWSIES,” the musical, is inspired by the real-life Newsboys in 1899 in New York City. The show has music by Allen Menken; lyrics by Jack Feldman and is based on the book by Harvey Fierstein. It made its Broadway debut in 2012, where it played for 1,000 performances before embarking on a national tour. It is also based on the Disney film.
“91̽ is fortunate to be one of the first in the area to get the rights to ‘NEWSIES’ as soon as they became available,” said Laura Early, 91̽ Theatre Instructor. “Normally, we produce a play for the fall production, but we decided to produce a musical this fall since we had several talented musical theatre and dance students at 91̽ this year.”
The musical involves a cast of 28 91̽ students and members of the community. Owen Bennett, a 91̽ student from Warren plays Jack Kelly; Kya Eckert, a 91̽ student from Freeport plays Katherine Plumber and Brandon Bull, a 91̽ graduate, and teacher at Eastland Elementary School plays Crutchie. Costume designer is Linda Foat of Camelot Costumes, LLC; Music Director is Jeff DeLay; Choreographer is Sarah Long; Lighting Design is by Mark Jansen; Scenic Design is by Dave Vrtol; Prop Master is Marybeth Similer and Assistant Director is Karley Morton, a 91̽ student.
Tickets are $17 for adults; $12 for seniors and $10 for students. There is a $2 transaction fee for every ticket purchased. For tickets call 815-599-3718 or visit highland.edu.