Extra! Extra! Vail Performing Arts Academy needs more newsies for ‘Newsies’
Vail Performing Arts Academy's summer play still has dozens of lead roles to fill
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Good help is hard to find in the newspaper business, and that’s also proving true for the most famous play about the newspaper business, as a local rendition of the Disney musical “Newsies” could use a few more kids to fill out its cast.
The Vail Performing Arts Academy has obtained the rights to put on “Newsies” on July 26-27, and while it will be a shortened version of the popular play, (the official title is “Newsies Junior”), it still contains every lead role. All 42 of them.
For local students ages 8-17, it’s a great opportunity to get a good role on stage in a classic play, says director Colin Meiring.
“Usually there are only about 12-15 lead roles in a musical production,” Meiring said. “So the complaint I always get from the kids is ‘why am I not in a lead?’ But this time, I’m not expecting that to happen as this one will give everybody a chance to shine.”
So far, the Vail Performing Arts Academy only has about 25 sign-ups, which means — if more students don’t join — there will be several students who will end up taking on multiple roles.
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“Double casting will work just fine, but it’s not nearly as fun,” Meiring said.
In addition to their time in the spotlight, students will also have a chance to learn from Meiring, who has theater experience on London’s West End and on Broadway in New York City.
After working in London and touring the world doing plays on the cruise ship circuit, Meiring had begun to settle down in New York City in the early 2000s. But then 9/11 happened, which spooked him enough to look for a new place to live. He said Eagle County appealed to him because of how safe a community it is.
“And it also has a free daily newspaper that really supports the arts,” he said with a laugh.
More than 20 years later, Meiring is still the artistic director and choreographer at the Vail Performing Arts Academy, where he has never put on the same play twice.
He said he enjoys working with Vail Performing Arts Academy founder Annah Deluca-Scully, who is there to comfort the students if he’s too hard on them.
“I set firm boundaries, and I know I can be tough,” he said. “But that’s what the students need in order to learn these performances in the amount of time we have.”
Meiring will host auditions for “Newsies” on May 25 in the Battle Mountain High School auditorium, and after every student who signs up is assigned a part, the theater camp in which the students will learn the play is scheduled to take place every Monday through Friday, July 7 to July 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Interested students can sign up at VPAA.org/summer any time from now until the audition takes place on May 25, Meiring said. The youth auditions are scheduled to take place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and tweens and teens will audition from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
There will be a total of four shows, two on July 26 and two on July 27 at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
