Challenge: Create two 1899 newspaper props — The New York World and The Sun — for a high school production of Newsies.
I am that rare blend of thespian/newspaper geek who appreciates good newspaper props in stage shows. So I proposed a custom prop with content about the students in the show, making these “papes” (as the newsboys call them in the show) a souvenir for parents and grandparents to buy at concessions. Win-win!
Parents and grandparents bought out the supply across six performances, and many took crumpled pages home as keepsakes. Families scanned the articles for student names and delighted in the hidden gems throughout the text.
I designed the newspapers from scratch using a blend of historical research, typographic styling, and theatrical storytelling. I recreated the dense, rule-lined layouts of turn-of-the-century papers using modern tools: InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
The film/stage show about young newspaper sellers protesting a cost increase is based on a real newsboy strike, and New York newspapers of the day printed accounts of boys pummeling scabs. Even if those accounts are true, they aren’t wholesome enough for a Disney family show. The stage plot paints the boys as victims of the publisher’s thugs. The lead story for the prop paper became a blend of Katherine’s words, a description of the show’s fight scene, and details pulled from the real newspapers.
The papers of July 1899 include several interesting reports that relate to the show. Trolley workers fought in the streets for better pay, supposedly inspiring the Newsies. Governor Teddy Roosevelt spent that month at his midtown office, making his cameo slightly plausible. Other stories hold echoes of today’s news: General Russell Alger resigned as Secretary of War; immigration officials arrested and deported Canadian workers illegally in New York; Harvard law faculty voted to admit women students.
Medda’s theater is listed among the other vaudeville theaters.
A true modern article about the high school actors who scored highly in the regional competition, earning spots at the state and national festivals.
Vintage illustrations of the school mascot in ads for parent involvement.
This project came from my heart. Newspapers were my first love — editing my high school paper, freelancing for my L.A. suburb’s twice-weekly paper before heading off to college, leading the Gonzaga Bulletin as editor-in-chief at 19. Though my career shifted to radio and design, this prop gave me a chance to revisit the world of print journalism and honor its legacy.
Designing these “papes” reminded me that newspapers still matter — as record-keepers, storytellers, and trusted sources. And for this delightful Tiger Drama production, they also became a bridge between history, theater, and community.
Communication By Design 