Despite an act of vandalism at Tommy Douglas Collegiate in Saskatoon, the show will go on.
A fire extinguisher was discharged inside the school’s theatre on the evening of May 15, according to officials.
Due to the time required to restore the facility, the school’s cast and crew needed another stage.
The high school’s production of Newsies: The Musical will not miss a day thanks to community support and Centennial Collegiate, which has offered its theatre as a new location for the five performances.
“We are so proud of the cast and crew of Newsies for how they have handled this unfortunate situation. They have been positive, resilient, and determined,” Tommy Douglas Collegiate principal Colleen Norris said in a press release.
“Our students have used music and lines from the show as motivation to move forward and ‘seize the day.’ It has been beautiful to see them come together in solidarity during this time.”
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Disney’s Newsies: The Musical is adapted from the 1990s film and premiered on the Broadway stage in 2012. The show, based on true events, tells the story of newspaper boys at the turn of the century protesting for fair wages in New York City.
Tommy Douglas is one of the first high schools to present the production since the rights for high school performances became available in 2018, according to officials.
Performances run May 22-25 with a 7 p.m. show each evening and a Saturday matinee at 1 p.m.
The vandalism was reported to Saskatoon police and an investigation is ongoing. No charges have been laid as of Wednesday morning.
Damage was initially estimated at over $5,000.
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