DANBURY - Read all about it, and get your tickets early.Newsies as the company's single summer production for 2018. But the news doesn't stop there.Newsies Tony winning original Broadway choreographer Christopher Gattelli will be overseeing the many dance sequences for the NewArts production.The Newtown Bee. "He'll definitely be onsite to work with our cast when he is able. Mr Gattelli's Broadway credits include: SpongeBob SquarePants, My Fair Lady, 13, The King and I, Godspell, High Fidelity, Sunday in the Park with George, and South Pacific."Newsies when it became available earlier this year, and while the application process took some time, NewArts recently learned they could do the show.Newsies this summer."Newsies had always enjoyed a cult following, and said the musical provides young people the perfect story for today's life and times.Newsies. It's so timely and it couldn't be more important right now."Newsies will be August 3-5 and 10-12.newarts.orgGrab your copy of The Newtown Bee and 'Get Up and Go' with Newsies Tony Winning choreographer Christopher Gattelli: 

That's the advice of NewArts summer theater director Michael Unger as he announced the local arts and leadership development initiative's plans to stage the hit Disney musical 

For the first time, NewArts summer "theater camp" program and production will be held at the new state-of-the art Visual and Performing Arts Center (VPAC) at Western Connecticut State University.

And hot off the presses is the scoop that 

"He will be having an associate adapt his original Broadway choreography for our production," Mr Unger told 

Mr Unger believes he was the among the first to apply for the rights to stage 

The director said he was equally excited to be taking NewArts 2018 performers and technical crew into the new VPAC at WestConn's Westside Campus.

"I flew up from Florida to take a look at the [VPAC] space and it's magnificent," he said. "It's better equipped than any Broadway house - so we can really do some wonderful things there with 

The move to WestConn is providing NewArts to "spread its wings" and share its inspiring combination of stagecraft and thespian experiences and ARC (Aspire, Reach, Confidence) leadership development programming with a broader and more diverse population of young people.

"ARC is our year-round character development program designed to empower children to recognize and develop their strengths, build confidence and effectively manage their emotions," Mr Unger explained. "ARC has been developed by NewArts founder and physician Dr Baroody and a group from the Yale School of Management to help young people discover and explore new ideas while growing more mentally prepared and confident."

Mr Unger recalled how the film 

"The musical almost came about by popular demand," he said. "The message of the show is about kids making a difference in the world, and influencing how adults think. So in light of events, from Sandy Hook to Parkland, kids are really making a difference - and that's the core message of 

While the musical is renowned for its huge cast of "news boys" and its stellar choreography, Mr Unger said his news carriers will not be gender specific.

"We'll have news girls and news boys sharing the stage," he said. And in terms of the dance-dominant nature of the show, the director said it should not dissuade or discourage actors and/or singers who don't do a lot of dancing from auditioning.

"It's such a fun show, but this will probably be the biggest dancing show we've done up to this point," he said. Instead of tackling two back-to-back summer productions, Mr Unger said NewArts will instead create a "double cast" situation for the single show.

There is a need for a wide variety of volunteers, from stage hands and technicians, to house and box office and rehearsal volunteers. And this summer, every cast member and tech crew member will also attend the NewArts ARC program.

"We strengthen this year-long empowerment program every year in parallel with the arts portion of the program," Mr Unger explained. "It really sets us apart from a lot of other summer theater activities because you don't just get a chance to enjoy working on a professional caliber show with Broadway mentors and professionals, but you come away with tools that will help each participant in their daily lives and in school. That's really a critical component to what we're doing."

The theater camp will run from 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday, during pre-production and rehearsals, he said. And when participants are not rehearsing, they will be assigned to ARC sessions.

Performance dates for 

Performer auditions are Saturday and Sunday, April 28-29; and Friday through Sunday, May 4-6, with May 6 earmarked for dance audition and callbacks. Mr Unger said those auditioning should prepare a cut of a contemporary musical theatre song and a short speech or monologue; extremely young children can recite a poem or tell a joke.

Singing auditions will be a capella (no accompaniment). Pop songs are allowed, but Mr Unger said he is looking for songs that tell a story and can showcase a performer's voice and acting abilities.

Performers between the ages of 5 and 20 are eligible to audition, and both casts are required to attend all rehearsals. Dancers may do a dance-only audition, however, all dancers are strongly encouraged to sign up for a singing/acting audition even if they not comfortable singing and acting.

This year's tuition is $1,000 (for principals, singing chorus and dance ensemble); $600 (young ensemble); and $600 (tech team). There is a $50 discount for siblings; financial aid and tuition discounts for members are available.

Learn more and contact NewArts representatives through the organization's website,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSEUR2gZUFc

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