Description:

It's time to carry the banner on your stage with Disney's Newsies! Set in turn-of-the century New York City, Newsies is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a band of teenaged "newsies." When titans of publishing raise distribution prices at the newsboys’ expense, Jack rallies newsies from across the city to strike against the unfair conditions and fight for what's right!

Based on the 1992 motion picture and inspired by a true story, Newsies features a Tony Award-winning score by Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors, Sister Act) and Jack Feldman and a book by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots). Featuring the now classic songs “Carrying the Banner,” “Seize the Day,” and “Santa Fe,” Newsies is packed with non-stop thrills and a timeless message, perfect for the whole family and every audience.

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Newsies Winter 2027
Director’s Vision Letter,
Time to Seize the Day!!! Newsies is one of my all-time favorite musicals! I have been part of the artistic team/community for this show three times and have loved each and every one of those experiences. I am thrilled to be bringing this iconic show to the stage again with the incredible students we have at CYT now! At its core, Newsies is a story about coming of age and coming together to achieve more than we can on our own, which is why I believe every generation of CYT students should have the opportunity to experience this empowering and uplifting story!

This story is straight from the pages of American history. The real-life newsies in New York City held their strike in 1899, standing up to the media moguls who unilaterally set their prices without regard for how those changes would impact the working children in the city. The newsies formed their own union and ultimately reached a compromise with the newspaper leaders. Their courage and willingness to come together to achieve a common goal inspired other labor movements across the country and contributed to the push for better labor protections for children and adults in the years that followed.

The Newsies are a fantastic example of Unity—our CYT Find Your Character focus for this session. Our Scripture memory verse for Newsies 2027 is Ecclesiastes 4:9–10a: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”
We are called to unity as Christians. God’s Word says, “Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Unity and community in Christ make us stronger in our own faith and encourage us to help one another when we are in need! I cannot wait to explore how our CYT family can live in Unity together this winter!

As we bring Newsies to life, I would encourage you all to set your hearts on God and posture your attitudes in this spirit of Unity. It takes ALL of us, each bringing our unique perspectives, gifts, and talents together, to put on a show that will glorify Him at every turn—on and off the stage. When we are unified in our purpose to glorify the Lord, our own expectations and even our personal desires and egos become less important. The overall experience and the goal of leaving the scent of Christ wherever we go become the most important “part” we can play. Please be in prayer about this as you prepare for auditions.

Newsies has wonderful roles for many performers, but not everyone in the cast can be a newsie. To tell this story, the newsies must have the adult moguls to stand up to. They must have nuns to feed them and people on the street to sell their “papes” to, and they must confront the “scabs” who are trying to take their jobs while they are on strike. Without ALL of the characters in the story, the newsies would not have made the impact on history that they did in 1899! This cast list is about much more than the newsies, and the artistic team members are already in prayer over how the beautiful puzzle of this story will come together!

In addition to understanding that there are many roles in the show, it is important to know that most of the roles are written for characters who appear to be teens and adults. There is one younger character, Les, and if other younger students are cast, they will be in ensemble roles. Les should appear to be one of the youngest newsies, so we cannot have a large number of younger newsies in the cast. If our numbers become too large to cast everyone, it is most likely that students who appear older will be cast before students who appear younger. This is a function of the show itself, so we thank you for your understanding.

So get ready to shine! Show us your unique personality in your slate, give us one character in your song and another in your monologue. Prepare as best you can for the things that are within your control, and then trust God to do the rest! We are rooting for you ALL, and we’re looking forward to a wonderful time Carrying the Banner this winter!

Love,
Ms. Ashlie

Dates / Times:

  • Friday, Feb 5th @ 7:00pm
  • Saturday, Feb 6th @ 2:00pm
  • Saturday, Feb 6th @ 7:00pm
  • Sunday, Feb 7th @ 2:00pm
  • Friday, Feb 12th @ 7:00pm
  • Saturday, Feb 13th @ 2:00pm
  • Saturday, Feb 13th @ 7:00pm
  • Sunday, Feb 14th @ 2:00pm
Tickets go on sale Saturday December 12, 2026 at 10:00am

Ticket Prices:

  • $22.00: Standard Ticket Price
  • $25.00: At Door Price

Charles Bender Performing Arts Center:

611 Higgins Street, Humble, TX 77338

Show Notes:

Interested in Auditioning for Newsies?
Class registration for the Winter session will open October 15th.  You must be registered for a class to sign up for an audition timeslot.
Join the Newsies Facebook Group
Check out the Cast Hub!  This is the place for all things Newsies 2027!

***Director’s Vision Letter***

Time to Seize the Day!!! Newsies is one of my all-time favorite musicals! I have been part of the artistic team/community for this show three times and have loved each and every one of those experiences. I am thrilled to be bringing this iconic show to the stage again with the incredible students we have at CYT now! At its core, Newsies is a story about coming of age and coming together to achieve more than we can on our own, which is why I believe every generation of CYT students should have the opportunity to experience this empowering and uplifting story!

This story is straight from the pages of American history. The real-life newsies in New York City held their strike in 1899, standing up to the media moguls who unilaterally set their prices without regard for how those changes would impact the working children in the city. The newsies formed their own union and ultimately reached a compromise with the newspaper leaders. Their courage and willingness to come together to achieve a common goal inspired other labor movements across the country and contributed to the push for better labor protections for children and adults in the years that followed.

The Newsies are a fantastic example of Unity—our CYT Find Your Character focus for this session. Our Scripture memory verse for Newsies 2027 is Ecclesiastes 4:9–10a: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”

We are called to unity as Christians. God’s Word says, “Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Unity and community in Christ make us stronger in our own faith and encourage us to help one another when we are in need! I cannot wait to explore how our CYT family can live in Unity together this winter!

As we bring Newsies to life, I would encourage you all to set your hearts on God and posture your attitudes in this spirit of Unity. It takes ALL of us, each bringing our unique perspectives, gifts, and talents together, to put on a show that will glorify Him at every turn—on and off the stage. When we are unified in our purpose to glorify the Lord, our own expectations and even our personal desires and egos become less important. The overall experience and the goal of leaving the scent of Christ wherever we go become the most important “part” we can play. Please be in prayer about this as you prepare for auditions.

Newsies has wonderful roles for many performers, but not everyone in the cast can be a newsie. To tell this story, the newsies must have the adult moguls to stand up to. They must have nuns to feed them and people on the street to sell their “papes” to, and they must confront the “scabs” who are trying to take their jobs while they are on strike. Without ALL of the characters in the story, the newsies would not have made the impact on history that they did in 1899! This cast list is about much more than the newsies, and the artistic team members are already in prayer over how the beautiful puzzle of this story will come together!

In addition to understanding that there are many roles in the show, it is important to know that most of the roles are written for characters who appear to be teens and adults. There is one younger character, Les, and if other younger students are cast, they will be in ensemble roles. Les should appear to be one of the youngest newsies, so we cannot have a large number of younger newsies in the cast. If our numbers become too large to cast everyone, it is most likely that students who appear older will be cast before students who appear younger. This is a function of the show itself, so we thank you for your understanding.

So get ready to shine! Show us your unique personality in your slate, give us one character in your song and another in your monologue. Prepare as best you can for the things that are within your control, and then trust God to do the rest!

We are rooting for you ALL, and we’re looking forward to a wonderful time Carrying the Banner this winter!

Love,
Ms. Ashlie