Drama-The Newsies

In Scene 1, the manager at the newspaper office states that the papers will “sell like hotcakes.” What does he mean? Why does he say this? (Note: Hotcakes are pancakes.)

• to sell or get rid of something very easily

• selling pancakes

• sticky like syrup

• selling very slowly and not able to get rid of

In Scene 2, Rose say that war is “ (a)   news for us”.

Why do the newsies decide to strike? What do they hope will happen by going on strike?

• They don't want to work

• They want to be treated fairly

• They want to be able to sell all their newspapers as easily as they had been

• They want change from Mr. Hearst

In Scene 6, what do you learn about William Randolph Hearst? What kind of person do you think he is?

• powerful

• greedy

• mean

• sweet and caring

• thinks the brace bnewsies are "a bunch of brats"

In Scene 8, how does the strike end? Why was the strike effective?

• The strike ended because the newsies could not win. They were forced to give up and go home without pay or work. Mr. Hearst hired a new group of kids who would work harder.

• The strike ends when Hearst agrees to buy back the papers the newsies haven’t sold by the end of the day so they won’t lose money. The strike was effective because all the newsies stuck together and refused to sell papers. This caused Hearst to lose money. He had to give in and make a deal with the newsies so that

• The newsies got into a fight with Mr, Hearst. He agreed to move the price back down and start working with them to sell the newspapers. This was effective because Mr. Hearst now knew how the kids felt.

According to the Epilogue, what impact did the strike have on the lives of the newsies? What impact did it have on the future of workers’ rights?

• Even though many kids’ lives were still difficult after the strike, the strike gave the newsies power that they didn’t have before.

• It showed that kids had rights.

• Now, most kids have to be at least 14 to work, and all children must attend school.

• The newsies’ bravery helped pave the way for kids gaining more protections and rights in the future.

In Scene 5, Rose says, “Sometimes you have to sacrifice a little up front to get more later.” What happens in the play that supports this statement?

• In the play, the newsies take a big risk by striking.

• They could lose their jobs or be punished by their employer.

• They also don’t earn any money while they are striking.

• Later, their sacrifice pays off, because their strike forces their boss, William Randolph Hearst, to compromise and buy back the unsold papers.

• You must scream and yell to get what you want.

According to the Prologue, who were the newsies, and why were they important?

• They were whining kids who sold newspapers.

• The newsies were kids who went on strike because they thought they should get paid more for being hard-working kids.

• The newsies were kids who sold newspapers on the streets in the late 1800s. They were important because during this time, the only way to learn what was happening in the world was to read the newspaper–one you could buy from a newsie.

• They were kids who had to wirk because their parents could not work. They were importnat because they went on strike and changed their boss's mind about the price of newspapers.