Casting Announcement for "NEWSIES"

VIRGINIA THEATRE FESTIVAL MAKES FIRST CASTING ANNOUNCEMENT
FOR UPCOMING PRODUCTION OF TONY AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL DISNEY’S NEWSIES

SHOW TO BE DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY UVA AND VTF ALUM MATTHEW STEFFENS

DISNEY’S NEWSIES WILL OPEN JULY 9 IN CULBRETH THEATRE

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – April 16, 2026 – The Virginia Theatre Festival has announced the cast and creative team for its production of Disney’s Newsies.

Set to run July 9-19 in the Culbreth Theatre at the University of Virginia, Disney’s Newsies will be directed and choreographed by Matthew Steffens. A favorite of VTF audiences for his acclaimed direction and choreography of 2023’s smash-hit Cabaret and last season’s highly acclaimed Into the Woods. Steffens is a Broadway veteran with credits including Associate Choreographer on the Tony Award-nominated revival of Into the Woods, and he recently worked in Spain on the upcoming Antonio Banderas film Armadillo United and is currently serving as Choreographer for La Traviata at the Garsington Opera in England.

The cast for Disney’s Newsies will include:

Ethan Peterson (Jack Kelly) – Selected Credits: Next to Normal, The Great Emu War, Rent, Into the Woods, Grease, Sweeney Todd, Trampoline: A New Musical. TV/Film:
Isabel Leoni (Katherine Plumber) – Regional: In the Heights. Workshops/Readings: Real Women Have Curves, The Kids in 201. University: Jesus Christ Superstar, Bare, Three Sisters.
Henry Crater (Davey) – Regional: Next to Normal, Escape to Margaritaville, Tuck Everlasting, Rock of Ages, The Sound of Music, A Christmas Story, The Boy from Oz.
Luke Sullivan (Crutchie) – Regional: Spring Awakening. Local/University: Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812.
Nyla Watson (Medda Larkin) – Broadway: Waitress the Musical. Off-Broadway: Black No More, Gigantic. National Tour: Wicked, The Color Purple. Regional: Trading Places.
James Ludwig (Joseph Pulitzer) – VTF: Into the Woods. Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors, Spamalot. Off-Broadway: The Blue Man Group, Tubes, De La Guarda, Two Point Oh. TV/Film: The Chapelle Show, Daylight Raiders, Lipstick Jungle, Ghost Town.
Jack Esplin (Les) – Regional: A Christmas Carol. Local/Student: Willy Wonka, Oliver, Les Misérables, Tarzan, A Christmas Carol, Matilda.
Carson Zoch (Race) – National Tour: Shrek the Musical, Charlie Brown Christmas. Regional: Disney’s Newsies, Jagged Little Pill.
Trevor Terry (Albert) – Regional: The Bodyguard, Cabaret, A Christmas Carol. Local/University: Into the Woods, The Awesome 80’s Prom.
Isaiah Hastings–Rogers (Specs) – Regional: White Christmas, Cabaret, Escape to Margaritaville. Film/TV: Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular.
Zach “Zoo” Finkelstein (Henry) – Regional: Anything Goes, Rory, *La Cage Aux Folles. University: The Lightning Thief. Film/TV: Duck Duck, POMP, SNOW & CIRQUEumstance, Wonderama.
Kabir Gandhi (Finch)– National Tour: Elf, Mean Girls. Regional: Rock of Ages, Little Mermaid. Cruise Lines: Disney Dreams. Film: Best of the Best.
Rayon Lim (Elmer) – Theatre: Grease, Damn Yankees, Anastasia, Pippin, Sweet Charity, Once Upon a Mattress, Fiddler on the Roof. Educational: All Shook Up, The Odyssey.
Solomon Iem (Romeo) – Regional: Roc of Ages, We Will Rock You. University: Big Fish, The Light in the Piazza, Pippin, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812.
Soren Corbett (Mush) – VTF: Into the Woods. Regional: Dogfight, 9 to 5. Local/University: Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, Carrie: The Musical. Film/TV: Romeo and Benvolio.
Jeremiah Clyburn (JoJo) – Local/University: Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, Big Fish
Alex Llorca (Buttons/Dance Captain) – Off-Broadway: Barba. Regional: West Side Story, On Your Feet!, Mary Poppins, Swing!. Cruise Lines: Footloose.
Chachi Delgado (Morris Delancey) – National Tour: Rent. Regional: In the Heights: 20^th Anniversary Concert, My Fair Lady, Fun Home, A Chorus Line, Guys and Dolls, Into the Woods.
Julian Rivera Santiago (Oscar Delancey) – Regional: The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley. Local/University: As You Like It.
Cameron Gardner (Bowery Beauty) – VTF: Into the Woods. Local/University: As You Like It, Legally Blonde, The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee, Crazy for You. Film/TV: The Taylows.
Karina Yakubisin (Hannah) – Local/University: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, As You Like It, Carrie, American Idiot, Crazy for You.
Joey Wharton (Seitz) – VTF: Into the Woods, The Pirates of Penzance. Local/University: Eurydice, Emma, Significant Other, Tiny Beautiful Things, The Comedy of Errors, A Christmas Carol.
Dan Stern (Bunsen) – VTF: Harvey, Company, The Pirates of Penzance, 1776, Ragtime. Local: My Fair Lady, La Boheme, Anything Goes, Cabaret, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.
Jonathan Barnard (Wiesel) – Local/University: Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, The Play That Goes Wrong, Catch Me If You Can, Guys and Dolls.

The cast of VTF’s Disney’s Newsies will also feature thirteen talented young artists under the age of 18 who will perform as the Brooklyn newsies. These cast members will include Jack Wielar (Spot Conlon), Mickey Comer, Jasper Hudnall, Nina Hudnall, Quinn Kavanaugh, Maddox Knorr, Priyanka Krishnaraj, Violet Nesbit, Faith Penaredondo, Macy Stancil, Kaylee Taylor, Remy Wiecek, and Ellie Winn. VTF is proud to be partnering with Charlottesville performing arts academy DMR Adventures to support this group of young artists.

The creative team for Disney’s Newsies will include Matthew Steffens (Director & Choreographer); Ian Miller (Musical Director); Grier Coleman (Costume Designer); Andrew T. Griffin (Lighting Designer); Michael Rasbury (Sound Designer); Christopher Salvaggio (Associate Director); Alex Llorca (Associate Choreographer); Colleen Kelly (Fights & Intimacy Coordinator); Andrew Bryce (Dialect & Vocal Coach); Karman Boisset (Wigs & Makeup Designer); Matt Davis (Audio Mixer); Kristin Baltes (Assistant Musical Director); Kateryna Viavattine (Production Stage Manager); Elena Genao (Assistant Stage Manager); and Grace Anne (Assistant Stage Manager).

Casting by Katja Zarolinski, CSA.

The Virginia Theatre Festival is a program of the University of Virginia, with support from the Office of the Provost, Vice Provost for the Arts, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Drama, and The Caplin Foundation.

The Virginia Theatre Festival is supported by a generous grant from The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation. Disney’s Newsies is presented by C-VILLE Weekly and Woodard Properties, with support from Community Partner: DMR Adventures.

The Virginia Theatre Festival 2026 Season will also include Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty (June 20-28 in the Ruth Caplin Theatre) and Frida…A Self Portrait (July 23-26 in the Ruth Caplin Theatre). Tickets for the 2026 season go on sale on Friday, April 17 at noon. Volunteer opportunities are also available this summer, and you can view more information on how to sign up here.

VTF donors provide essential support to the organization, while enjoying exclusive benefits like complimentary tickets, invitations to special events, behind-the-scenes access, and more. For more information on ways to support the upcoming season, visit virginiatheatrefestival.org/support.

To learn more about the Virginia Theatre Festival and the upcoming season, visit virginiatheatrefestival.org.

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The Virginia Theatre Festival’s Production of Disney’s Newsies The Musical is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com. Disney’s Newsies music is by Alan Menken, lyrics are by Jack Feldman, and the book is by Harvey Fierstein. The show is based on the Disney Film written by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White and was originally produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions.

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