EXTRA EXTRA! NEWSIES Cast Member Teaching YOU How To Carry the Banner While on Tour!

Now here's one headline you WON'T want to miss!

As Disney's NEWSIES continues to carry the banner on its National Tour, cast member Nico DeJesus (Romeo) is seizing the day by offering a unique opportunity for dancers and musical theatre performers during the cast's Southern California stop.

While the cast makes the Segerstrom Center for the Arts their home from May 17-29, Nico will be teaching a Broadway Masterclass hosted by The Prepared Performer's Molly Mahoney, and assisted by Paige Sealey. This two hour session will consist of choreography in the style of Newsies, and will take place on May 30 from 10 am-12 pm in Orange, CA. Additionally, all who attend will be invited to engage in a Q and A immediately following the masterclass.

For fansies and theatre fans, this is a dream come true. For Nico, this is a phenomenal opportunity to bestow what he loves about performing upon young actors and actresses. He says, "To be a part of Newsies is truly an honor in itself. I'm so grateful to be part of this brotherhood that has been formed ever since the show's days at Paper Mill Playhouse. It's a privilege to be performing Christopher Gattelli's Tony Award winning choreography and there's no feeling like being onstage with the boys performing it next to them. I get so much enjoyment and gratification out of performing "Seize the Day" every day. I remember when the Broadway cast performed that piece on the Tony's and immediately telling myself that I needed to be on that stage doing that number. Now here I am and I'm truly blessed to be doing it. I'm honored to be a Newsie and I love sharing my knowledge and experiences I've gained from being part of this wonderful show."

Nico DeJesus is a professional singer, dancer, and actor that can currently be seen touring North America with the National Broadway Tour of Disney's "Newsies" playing the role of Romeo. Nico is a graduate of UCLA with a degree in World arts and Cultures with a concentration in Dance. While living in Los Angeles, he danced on Disney Channel's "Shake it Up" and "That's so Raven." He can also be seen on MTV's "Awkward" where he played the role of Henry. Nico was a featured performer on Jay-Z's "H to the Izzo" music video where he can be seen rapping along side Jay-Z. He also danced on numerous commercials for Barbie, Warner Bros. Kids, and ABC Kids. Nico has taken his talents internationally as he performed in over 20 cities across Europe in Spain, Italy, and Turkey with FELD Entertainment's "Mickey's Rockin' Road Show." He has performed onstage at Sea World San Diego dancing in their "Rockin' Riptide show," where he performed alongside world-class gymnasts and percussionists. He is also a part of the Nationwide campaign "Get Up and Go" which is endorsed by Michelle Obama. Nico has trained under the tutelage of many well known choreographers such as Christopher Gattelli, Rosero McCoy, Eddie Garcia, Travis Payne, and Cris Judd to name a few.
Look for Nico in a city near you as he continues to tour with NEWSIES through October 2016.

For more information, and to sign up for the masterclass, please visit: http://www.thepreparedperformer.com/nico

NEWSIES, the new American musical, features a Tony Award® -winning score with music by eight-time Academy Award® winner Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman, a book by four-time Tony Award® winner Harvey Fierstein and is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, NEWSIES is directed by Tony nominee Jeff Calhoun and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, who won a 2012 Tony Award® for his work. The entire creative team has reunited to bring the break-out smash musical to audiences across North America.

When it opened on March 29, 2012 NEWSIES was intended for a Broadway run of just 101 performances. The show's fiercely devoted fans had other ideas, however; they propelled the show to a run of 1,005 performances, attendance of more than 1 million and a gross of over $100M.

While on Broadway, NEWSIES set and broke seven Nederlander Theatre house records and became the highest-grossing show from the 2011-12 Broadway season. The show received 23 major theatrical nominations - including eight Tony Award nods - and won a Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Score and Choreography.

Set in New York City at the turn of the century, NEWSIES is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a ragged band of teenaged 'newsies,' who dreams only of a better life far from the hardship of the streets. But when publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raise distribution prices at the newsboys' expense, Jack finds a cause to fight for and rallies newsies from across the city to strike for what's right.

NEWSIES is inspired by the real-life 'Newsboy Strike of 1899,' when newsboy Kid Blink led a band of orphan and runaway newsies on a two-week-long action against Pulitzer, Hearst and other powerful newspaper publishers.

The stage version introduces seven brand-new songs by the original team of Menken and Feldman, including a song written specifically for the tour called 'Letter from the Refuge,' while keeping many of the beloved songs from the film, including 'Carrying the Banner, 'Seize the Day,' 'King of New York' and 'Santa Fe.'

Since the film's 1992 theatrical release and subsequent DVD release, NEWSIES has grown into a cult phenomenon, and for years had been the single most requested title of all the Disney musical films not yet adapted for the stage. (The film featured a screenplay by Bob Tzudiker & Noni White (Tarzan, 102 Dalmatians).

For more information, visit NewsiesTheMusical.com, Facebook.com/Newsies and Twitter.com/Newsies.

The Costa Mesa engagement of NEWSIES is presented by arrangement with Segerstrom Center for the Arts and is a subscription offering of the Broadway and Curtain Call Series.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds Omaha Steaks for their sponsorship of NEWSIES. Kia is the Official Automotive Partner of the Center and United Airlines is the Official Airline of the Center. Union Bank The Private Bank is the Series Sponsor and Time Warner is the Media Partner of the Broadway and Curtain Call Series.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and to engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.

Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County's largest non-profit arts organization. In addition to its six performance venues, Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School, where students ages 3 - 14 are taught by acclaimed teachers utilizing the renowned ABT National Training Curriculum in studios utilized by the world's greatest dancers and choreographers.

The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events.

The Center's education programs are designed to inspire young people through the arts and reach hundreds of thousands of students each year. In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region's major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

DISNEY'S NEWSIES

Segerstrom Center for the Arts - Segerstrom Hall

May 17 - 29, 2016

Tuesday - Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m.

The 2 p.m. performance on Saturday, May 28, 2016 will include audio description, open captioning and sign-language interpretation.

600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA

www.scfta.org

Tickets - Start at $25

In person - The Box Office

600 Town Center Drive

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily

Online - SCFTA.org

Phone - (714) 556-2787

Group Sales - (714) 755-0236

Information provided is accurate at the time of printing, but is subject to change. Segerstrom Center for the

Arts is a private, non-profit organization. "Segerstrom Center for the Arts" is a registered trademark.

Photo Credit: Deen Van Der Meer