An inside look at the spring play ‘Newsies’ by lead actress Charity McCray

On March 16-18, 2023, Newsies the Musical was presented at Oakland Mills High School. Inspired by the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City, the play follows Jack Kelly, played by OM’s Bliden Wlun, and his team of newsboys who sell newspapers to make ends meet. When the paper’s rates rise, Jack gathers an army of ‘newsies’ to assist him in organizing a strike against the greedy publisher of the New York World. He also enlists the help of an independent and young newspaper reporter, Katherine Plummer, played by Charity McCray. 

Charity, a senior at OM, had never been involved in a musical production or had done much acting until this year. She admitted the transition from never acting to being a lead actress was quite nerve-wracking. However, with a little bit of determination and a supportive team, she was able to overcome her stage fright and give an amazing performance. Charity spoke very highly of the cast and crew, saying she felt a strong sense of community and was able to go from crew to cast with ease thanks to the team’s support and Ms. Hoffen’s excellent direction and ability to, “just let her actors develop and embrace their roles.”

She said her favorite moment of the whole experience was after opening night when the cast ran off of the stage singing, dancing, and celebrating.. She said, “The cast and crew were the best part of the play. Even though there were disagreements here and there, at the end of the day, we were family and all unified as one.”

While being a part of a great team was certainly a highlight for Charity, she also stressed the importance of trying new things and breaking out of your shells. Charity says acting is what you make it, and “allowing yourself to be open to different things as well as stepping outside of your comfort zone is one of the most important factors.” This was especially important to her and the rest of the cast because, unlike the original play, the OM production had a mostly black cast, which made it all the more crucial for them to personalize their characters. But she rose to the challenge gracefully and did an amazing job bringing her character to life and displaying all of Katherine Plummer’s great attributes throughout the play such as her strength, boldness, and tenacity.

Although it was her first and, tragically, last year participating in theater at OMHS, she says the experience has inspired her to take part in more plays in the future. She encourages anyone who is on the fence about trying out for next year’s play to go for it because you never know what might happen. As for Charity, we wish her all the best as she heads off to Morgan State University to pursue a degree in Applied Liberal Studies!