Local adaptation of ‘Newsies’ goes for ‘paradigm shift’ with Training Ground
MANILA, Philippines — Set new standards, raise the bar and up the ante.
These are the high hopes of seasoned theater director Robbie Guevara for “Newsies,” the latest Broadway musical that Globe Live, the production arm of Globe Telecom, is producing for Filipino audiences in partnership with local theater company, 9 Works Theatrical.
“I can’t help but think that there is going to be a paradigm shift in the way people do theater nowadays especially after ‘Newsies,’” he told Philstar.com.
But where is Guevara coming from, having directed both original and adapted theater shows for decades already?
The answer lies in Training Ground, a six-week, intensive program that Globe Live has put especially for “Newsies.”
“Globe Live introduced Training Ground for the first time and the result will not only be a good show but also good performers. Good performers who will not just do this one show but will move on to other shows. Hopefully the training they received will raise the bar in terms of (theater) performance,” Guevara explained.
He added, “Personally as a director, how can I go lower than this now that I am setting a new standard with it. So the succeeding shows that we do can’t get lower. It’s just not fair and it doesn’t make sense.”
Putting up Training Ground
On how Training Ground was conceptualized, Senior Adviser for Creative Marketing & Multi-Media Businesses Joe Caliro, who also serves as Executive Producer of Globe Live, told Philstar.com that it was necessary for a musical with such caliber as “Newsies.”
First released in 1992 as a film based on the 1899 newsboy strike in New York City, “Newsies” became a hit musical after Disney Theatrical Productions staged it in Broadway in 2012. It is lauded for its triple threat of singing, dancing and acting by its young, male cast of newsies—or newsboys.
Robbie Guevara believes that Newsies will set new standards in the theater scene. Philstar.com/EC Toledo
This year, the Disney arm has granted Globe Live to locally stage the musical in the Philippines for the first time ever. Caliro, however, immediately identified a challenge.
He explained, “I talked with Santi, the executive producer of 9 Works Theatrical, and PJ Rebullida, the choreographer and said, that if we are to do this, we need to train people because we cannot find triple threats in the Philippines. Yes, you can find someone who can sing amazing—that’s a given—but they have two left feet, or vice versa. Then they need to act too!”
The solution? Globe Live decided to invest in Training Ground where the newly cast “Newsies” performers—a mix of new and experienced people—would undergo six weeks of pure training.
The result is astounding for the cast members who learned hip hop dancing despite their ballet background. Everyone also learned how to tap, while some had to even perform acrobatics.
In terms of singing, both director and producer noted that the entire cast could sing—members just had to learn a few more techniques. On acting, Guevara avoided prescribing, but instead explored the characters with the cast members.
Staging an outdoor musical
Globe Live and 9 Works Theatrical have previously partnered in adapting two foreign musicals, “American Idiot” and “The Christmas Carol” in 2016 at the Globe Iconic Store in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
“Newsies” is their third project together, which will also be staged at the same venue from July 7 to 30. Asked why he chose “Newsies,” Caliro recalled it all began when a Disney Theatrical Productions executive saw Globe’s “accidental theater.”
By partnering with 9 Works Theatrical and producing 'Newsies,' Joe Caliro believes that Globe Live is able to support local talents in local theater. Philstar.com/EC Toledo
“I know for a fact that he fell in love with the venue because they could reach more people to experience ‘Newsies’ in the outdoors than he could ever have in a small theater,” Caliro noted. “They don’t give the license to 'Newsies' to many people that is why he is excited about the way we are approaching 'Newsies' in this large venue.”
Besides Training Ground, Globe Live is also preparing a grand set for “Newsies”—something that will fill the outdoor theater’s massive stage.
“The whole point of producing local shows is to support local talent and raise the awareness on theater to non-theater people in the Philippines—hence why we do our performances at the Globe Iconic Store. People who have never seen a theater show before—or who couldn’t afford it—can now do. And as they start to go, ‘Wow. This is really good,’ then maybe next time, they will buy a ticket for our event or for other promoters’ events,” Caliro ended.
Globe LIVE’s “Newsies” will have a month-long run during the weekends of July from July 7 until July 30. For more details on the cast and the ticket promos, visit http://go.globe.com.ph/newsies.html. Tickets are available now at https://www.ticketworld.com.ph.
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Globe LIVE, 9 Works to stage first local production of ‘Newsies’
