District 202 Students, Alumni To Perform In 'Newsies' Production

PLAINFIELD, IL — Eight Plainfield School District 202 students and alumni will take the stage in Summer Place Theatre's production of "Newsies."

The musical is playing at Naperville Central High School, 440 Aurora Ave., through Sunday.

Here's a look at who's taking part in the production, which is based on the Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City.

• Cecilia Wynne, a junior at Plainfield East High School, is playing Seitz and other ensemble parts
• Charles Long, a seventh grader at Ira Jones Middle School, is portraying Les
• Jacob Long, a seventh grader at Ira Jones, is on the production crew
• Salem Channell, a 2022 graduate of Plainfield East, is portraying main character Jack Kelly
• Amanda Rissman, a 2022 graduate of Plainfield East, is playing JoJo and is also the understudy for Katherine
• Claire Correll, a 2017 graduate of Plainfield East, is playing the role of Hannah and other ensemble parts
• Nick Baumgartner, a 2016 graduate of Plainfield East, is playing the role of Mike.
• Jordan McCully, a 2021 graduate of Plainfield Central High School, is playing Finch.

Vocal director Ali Kordelewski, who serves as the choir director at Plainfield East High School, praised the thespians' hard work in crafting their roles.

"It is always a joy when I have the opportunity to work with some of our former students beyond high school," Kordelewski said. "This is one of my favorite aspects about community theater. I love that theater connects so many different ages."