Sumner High School's theatre program opens Disney's Newsies on Thursday, Nov. 12, after earning one of 21 spots nationwide in the Disney on Broadway School of Excellence Grant program.

The grant gives the Riverview school free performance rights and production materials for the Broadway musical. Sumner, which is part of Hillsborough County Public Schools, opened in 2020 to relieve overcrowding at East Bay High School in Gibsonton and Lennard High School in Ruskin. Students from the former Lennard attendance zone in Ruskin now attend Sumner.

Newsies is based on the true story of young newspaper sellers who organized against powerful publishers in 1899 New York City. The show runs five performances over two weekends, according to a Southshore Circle Facebook post:

  • Nov. 12 and 13 at 7 p.m.
  • Nov. 14 at 2 p.m.
  • Nov. 19 and 20 at 7 p.m.

The Disney on Broadway School of Excellence Grant is run by Disney Theatrical Group in collaboration with the Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF) and Music Theatre International. According to the ETF's program page, the initiative celebrates schools that display "outstanding artistic achievement and student-led engagement" in areas such as stagecraft, choreography, direction and performance.

Selected schools receive complimentary performance rights for up to three royalty-free shows, free scripts and scores, a logo pack, a video license and access to virtual webinars with theatre professionals. Schools may add performances beyond three with paid royalties. Sumner has five shows scheduled, though whether the school is paying for the extra two is unclear.

Applications closed April 1, 2026. A panel of adjudicators from all three sponsoring organizations evaluated schools on their ability to produce a quality show, the breadth of student involvement at leadership levels and a brief response from a current student. Selected schools were notified in early September.

Holly Talley, a theatre director at Sumner High School, has decades of experience leading student productions. A 2024 BJU EDUcamp biography listed her with 29 years of teaching experience and more than 85 musical productions directed. She teaches courses in stage direction and management, acting, technical production and Cambridge's A and AS Level Drama program at the school.

An Instagram post promoting the show noted that Sumner "was selected as one of 21 high schools nationwide to be a Disney school of excellence."

The second weekend of performances runs Nov. 19 and 20 at 7 p.m. at Sumner High School in Riverview.