David Midkiff returns to Casa Mañana as a male swing and understudy for “Jack Kelly” in Disney’s Newsies. They return home after their debut in the 2012 camp production of The Wizard of Oz!
David played “Henry” in addition to being the assistant choreographer and dance captain for Lyric Stage’s 2018 production of Disney’s Newsies. In 2019 they danced in the iTheatrics Choreography DVD of Newsies, Jr.
When speaking about the show’s relevance, David says, “Even though it is set over a century ago, so many of the themes are prevalent today. It can all be summed up with Jack’s lyric, “There’s change coming once and for all.” I believe we’re on the precipice of massive change. I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to tell this story and dig into what it means to stand up for what you believe in.”
David grew up performing with and for his family. Somewhere on the internet lies a video of a very iconic lip-sync to “Bad Romance.” We think that needs to resurface! Some of their credits include “Jesse Tuck” (Tuck Everlasting, Casa Mañana), Bonnie & Clyde (Casa Mañana) and Annie (Casa Mañana).
They are currently a junior at The University of Michigan, working towards a BFA in Musical Theatre.
David advises aspiring artists, “There is only one you. The mold is dated – break it!”
Disney’s Newsies runs thru June 12. Get tickets here: https://casamanana.org/events/disneysnewsies/.
