in past productions we’ve had a black jack kelly, a latino jack kelly, a black katherine, an asian david, a racetrack who isn’t always happy go lucky, a crutchie whose actor is a disabled in real life. newsies have been genderswapped because gender doesn’t dictate the character- take uksie’s spot, who is a black woman, for example; spot is the same powerhouse of a character regardless of who’s playing them. these characters are who you make them and you do NOT, and should not, follow the path of making every newsie White Guy #17. this is fiction these are characters you can give them diverse identities! diverse cultures! diverse religions and diverse countries of origin and diverse lived experiences!