Dixie Middle School debuts first ever full-length musical with “Newsies”

“NEWSIES,” DIXIE MIDDLE SCHOOL. MONDAY 5/2 TO SATURDAY 5/7, AT 12:00 AND 5:30, SATURDAY AT 4:30 AND 7:30.

ST. GEORGE — Dixie Middle School is debuting its first ever full-length musical this week with a complete student production of the popular musical “Newsies.”

Justina Arvig’s drama class has been working since January rehearsing, choreographing, building sets, designing costumes, and writing musical parts for their production of “Newsies.”

If you have not heard of of “Newsies,” it’s the Broadway adaption of the 1992 musical film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Set in lower Manhattan, the film and musical are based on the real-life newsboys strike of 1899.

Arvig, drama teacher at DMS and director of “Newsies,” said middle schools typically do an 80-minute “junior” version of musicals. But this semester DMS decided to take on the full two hour show.

Students have been working on tight deadlines to get everything ready in time. An impressive feat considering they only have 80 minutes every other day. “These students are the ones that designed the costumes, the makeup… they choreographed the entire show,” said Arvig.

Arvig said her students connected with the story of the original newsies, many of them the same age as the paperboys would have been in 1899. “They bring the energy,” said Arvig. “We have some really great talented kids, they’re really good.”

Jacie Peterson, an 8th grade student at DMS, is one of the students who choreographed the show. She said the best part of getting “Newsies” ready was her fellow students. “They’re like, super enthusiastic about it,” said Peterson. “It’s fun to work with them and see it all fit together at the end.”

The students had to work with limited materials and time. Marley Metcalf, an 8th grade student at DMS and set designer, said “sometimes we have to just work with what we [have] even thought it’s not always the best. There’s due dates and stuff, and it just came by so quickly.”

Metcalf said the work was hard, but rewarding. “[People] should come and see this play just because we all worked so hard on it,” said Metcalf. “It’s an amazing story and it’s an amazing set and crew.”

For some of the older students in the class, this will be their last musical at Dixie Middle School. Anna Schroath is a 9th grade student at DMS. She is also the assistant music director, light board operator, and plays the role of Medda Larkin in the A Cast. She said she will miss her fellow cast and crew members a lot.

“I remember yesterday I was telling my sisters how much I’m going to miss this show, and I was kind of crying,” said Schroath. Schroath said she knew she would be in other shows in the future, “but not with this specific cast.”

“These students… they’re not students. They’re a family,” said Justina Arvig, director. Arvig said even when students start out the semester uncomfortable on stage, by the end the students tell her “I love coming to my class, I belong.”

The students’ hard work is not over yet. Arvig’s class will be doing two two-hour shows almost every day until the show wraps on Saturday.

Show Information

“Newsies” is showing at Dixie Middle School every day until Saturday, May 7. Tickets are available for Wednesday 5/4 at 12:00 PM and 5:30 PM, Thursday 5/5 at 5:30 PM, Friday 5/6 at 12:00 PM and 5:30 PM, and Saturday 5/7 at 4:30 PM and 7:30 PM.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children. To purchase tickets, call (435) 628-0441 or buy at the doors (pending availability). Tickets can be purchased in-person at the Dixie Middle School finance office.

*Update: some of the showings are already sold out. Call ahead to check.