Palace Players prepare ‘Newsies’ performance
In its fourth full season and the brainchild of Xandria Cross and Remington Stavros, The Palace Players performers “have a mixture of high school kids — around 26 of the 36 total Players — and young adults and some full-on adults as well” from Farragut and around the immediate area, said Stavros, artistic director for The Palace Players.
Doing about three shows per season, their next is the musical “Newsies,” to be performed in Knoxville Catholic High School’s St. Gregory the Great Auditorium starting at 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday, Aug. 7-8; at 2 and 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 9, and at 2 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 10.
Tickets are $25 each per night, or four tickets bought together for $80 (go to palaceplayers.com)
“So the story is based on the newsboys’ strike from the 1890s and the story of the newsies and how it got started and all that,” Stavros said. “(Matthew Sensing) is playing the leader of the newsies, Jack Kelly.
“We also have one of the teachers from Concord Christian School performing in it, Abigail Sensing; she is one of their high school drama teachers,” he added. “Her husband is Matthew Sensing.
“Abigail is playing Katherine Plummer, who is a female reporter who is covering the story. She’s trying to get her big break in the reporting world because, obviously in the 1890s, women were more told to do the entertainment side of things, and so she wanted to do a real story.”
As a result, “she helps the newsboys, and then she learns about their cause and wants to start helping them,” Stavros said.
