UVA students join Broadway talent for Newsies

For Luke Sullivan, auditioning for the Virginia Theatre Festival’s production of Disney’s “Newsies” felt like a long shot.

The rising University of Virginia fourth-year student walked into auditions thinking the experience alone would be worthwhile. Then came a callback. Then another opportunity.

Sullivan now finds himself working alongside Broadway veterans and theater professionals in the festival’s largest cast in recent memory.

“Through experiences like this, we’re able to bridge that gap between us and the professional world,” Sullivan said. “I think it’s shown me that it’s not as far away as I think it is.”

Sullivan and six other UVA students are helping bring the Tony Award-winning musical to life when “Newsies” opens July 9 at Culbreth Theatre as the second production of the Virginia Theatre Festival’s 2026 season.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by University of Virginia (@uva)

Set in New York City in 1899, the musical follows Jack Kelly and a group of young newspaper sellers who organize a strike against powerful media moguls. While the show is known for its athletic choreography and energetic songs, director and choreographer Matthew Steffens sees something deeper at its core.

As he prepared for the production, the UVA alumnus and Broadway veteran found himself drawn to the show’s theme of perseverance.

“It’s about family, and it’s about struggle, and it’s about coming together and what you can do when you come together,” Steffens said. “It’s about dreaming. It’s about standing up for your rights and standing up for what you believe.”

Steffens, who graduated from UVA in 1998 with a degree in government and a minor in theater, has spent more than two decades building a career in New York. He has performed on Broadway and now works internationally as a director and choreographer, most recently as associate choreographer for the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of “Into the Woods.”

Despite a schedule that keeps him traveling for months at a time, Steffens continues returning to Charlottesville.

“I always think of this as my artistic home,” he said.

This year’s production includes a cast of 37 performers, including 13 local young artists. Thousands auditioned for roles, but Steffens said he was looking beyond performers who could sing, dance and act.

“There was a lot of talent that came in,” he said. “But I really wanted this production to have a rawness to it that realized the struggle that these boys were going through in 1899, because I think that that is still true today.”

Matthew Steffens, who earned a degree in government and a minor in theater from UVA in 1998, returns to his alma mater to direct and choreograph Disney’s “Newsies” for the Virginia Theatre Festival after more than two decades working in New York and internationally. (Photo by Kelly West, University Communications)

Rising fourth-year student Soren Corbett, who is majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in drama, worked with Steffens on last year’s production of “Into the Woods.” He jumped at the opportunity to return.

“It’s ‘Newsies.’ You can’t say no to ‘Newsies,’” Corbett said. “It’s a dream show.”

Corbett said the production has challenged him as a performer while surrounding him with a supportive company.

“These are some of the nicest and most lovely people I’ve met,” he said. “It’s been really great to work on a show where I feel like I’m really growing a lot as a performer.”

Jeremiah Clyburn, who graduated in May with majors in neuroscience and drama, appreciates the way the show combines movement and storytelling.

“I love how ‘Newsies’ centers dance,” he said. “When we’re thinking about protest, or we’re thinking about power, it’s a great integration of all these things in one.”

For Steffens, helping students grow as artists remains one of the most rewarding parts of returning to Charlottesville.