Peters Twp. native stars in ‘Newsies’
“Newsies” is a Disney theatrical production under the direction of Thomas Schumacher with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman.
Peters Township native Dan DeLuca said “Newsies” is a “sweeping, high-energy, thrilling show” filled with Tony Award-winning choreography that will “blow people’s minds.”
As a teenager, Dan DeLuca delivered newspapers for The Almanac. He never dreamed that experience would land him the lead in Disney’s production of “Newsies,” presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
The Peters Township native comes back to his hometown to make his Broadway tour debut as the lead in the Tony Award-winning production based on the true story of the newsboy strike of 1899. “Newsies” runs Nov. 25 to 30 at the Benedum Center.
DeLuca found his love of theater at a young age when his parents took him to see “Peter Pan” at the Benedum Center. The Disney-obsessed middle child of Dave and Kathy DeLuca would watch the movies with his sisters, Alexa, a medical student at George Washington University, and Cassi, a photography/business major at Kent State University. DeLuca’s parents continued to expose him to the arts, taking him to all of the Broadway shows that came to Pittsburgh. They even bought him a video camera when he was in the second grade.
“I was always putting on plays with my cousins and making movies,” said DeLuca. “I didn’t know then that I was prepping for my career.”
Kathy DeLuca said her son was a creative child. “He always wanted to direct, take videos … he was always drawing, writing.”
While a middle and high school student in Peters Township School District, DeLuca participated in theater and loved it. But, it wasn’t enough. He auditioned for Little Lake Theatre Company, but was turned down.
“I knew if I wanted to make this my career, I really needed to focus and get the training I needed. As much as I loved high school theater, I didn’t have the resources that I needed.”
DeLuca found the perfect fit at Richard E. Rauh Conservatory and Pittsburgh Musical Theater. He enrolled in a pre-college program at the conservatory his junior and senior years. In the evening, he performed in PMT shows, including “Godspell” at the Byham Theater, the first major musical in which he had a prominent role.
“I would go from core classes at Peters Township in the morning to the conservatory in the afternoon, then perform in shows downtown at the Byham at night then do my homework at midnight and be back at school at 7 a.m.,” DeLuca said. “It was the coolest thing in the entire world to be working in downtown Pittsburgh, working with all of these professional actors and being one of them.”
DeLuca said both the conservatory and PMT set him up for success and New York, where he moved in 2010, just a few months after his high school graduation. The transition, he said, came easy.
“I fit right in with the beat of the city and I loved it so much. I still love it.”
“Some people probably thought we were nuts … taking Dan to New York when he was barely 18 and dropping him off, but we just knew he would do it,” his mother said. “He knew what he wanted, and he went for it.”
In the Big Apple, DeLuca dove in head first. He enrolled in Collaborative Arts Project, a conservatory of New York University.
“Determined, intelligent, passionate and deeply focused” – that’s how CAP21 Professional Program Director Aimee Francis described DeLuca. She had him in class and also directed DeLuca as the lead in a Mainstage Production of “Children of Eden.”
“He had a fiery drive, beautiful humanity and powerful presence that made him irresistible to watch,” Francis said. “His artistry is extremely relatable and profoundly brave.” Francis said it was a thrill to work with DeLuca.
While participating in the intense, two-and-a half-year training program at CAP21, DeLuca auditioned for shows and obtained his Actor’s Equity card, which allowed him to work with some of his heroes. “I was in New York where all the opportunity was,” he said. “It was crazy. I’d still be doing my homework, but be working on developing new musicals with ’90s pop star Duncan Sheik and all these really cool people.”
The training and hard work paid off. At just 22, DeLuca got the call that changed his life.
DeLuca saw “Newsies” when it opened on Broadway. He had been auditioning for two-and-a-half years for the understudy of the role of Jack Kelly, which, he said, meant being in the ensemble. “To be in the ensemble, you have to be an incredible dancer,” explained DeLuca. “They told me, ‘You can either be Jack Kelly, the lead role, or not be in the show.'”
For DeLuca, it was an easy choice. But, he said, “Playing the role of Jack Kelly is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I do it eight times a week. It’s just extremely intense training, and the vocal workout that I have to do every night is insane.”
So, DeLuca, who is just the third person to ever play the role of Jack Kelly, enlisted the help of Broadway voice guru Liz Caplan, voice coach to Neil Patrick Harris.
“She has taught me so many amazing tricks of how to keep my voice in shape. When I’m not singing, I’m yelling and getting these boys riled up. It’s a marathon for me. I’m running all over the place and climbing up ladders, jumping off things, fighting, dancing on newspapers … it’s quite the workout.”
Dave and Kathy DeLuca have already seen the show four times, traveling to Philadelphia and Cleveland. Tickets to the Pittsburgh performances were purchased months ago. “I called the box office as soon as I found out and said ‘I want 10 for every show.'”
For the next year, DeLuca will be living out of his suitcase as the tour encompasses 25 cities. When not on stage or preparing for shows, DeLuca enjoys working out (he’s a coach for Beach Body Corp.), meditating, listening to music and staying in touch with his loved ones.
When the tour comes to an end, DeLuca plans to enroll in TV and film classes and hopefully one day make the transition to Los Angeles.
“There are so many opportunities in New York, but there are a lot of opportunities in LA. I’d love to be bicoastal,” he said. “It’s funny … I never thought my life would be so all over the place.”
For now, however, DeLuca is just excited for the opportunity to perform in his hometown. “It’s the theater where I went to see all the shows when I was younger. I’m just so thrilled that I can make my big Broadway tour debut in Pittsburgh and over Thanksgiving. I’m proud of where I come from, so I’m just so happy that I can be coming back. I’ve been so blessed to have so many wonderful, supportive people around me. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. I’m doing my dream role in my dream show, working for my dream company.”
Who could ask for anything more?