News

On November 21, 22, and 23, Upper School students wowed sold-out audiences with their production of Tuck Everlasting: The Musical in Newton Country Day's Sweeney-Husson Theatre. 

Tuck Everlasting: The Musical is based on the 1975 American children's novel of the same name by Natalie Babbitt. It tells a story family, loss, friendship, and love. In a note from the program, Director Dr. Corey Everly shares: "The story of the Tucks' eternal life may seem fantastical, yet it's filled with metaphors that resonate with our everyday lives. At the heart of this tale -and our production- is a meditation on time. How do we spend our days, and what choices would we make for ourselves, our families, and our mortal lives if we could live forever?

"As a Sacred Heart school, we are grounded in the incarnational theology, believing that Jesus is both fully divine and fully human. Scripture tells us, "whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16). With this faith, we commit to Goal One; fostering a personal and active relationship with God. Through Winnie's journey, we see a mirror of our own lives and fact the questions: 'What will we do with the time we are given?'

"The dedication of this cast and crew stands as a testament to time well spent. Their hard work invites us to reflect and discern through the Tucks' story. May we all be inspired to live in ways that prompt us to speak more kindly, love more deeply, and listen more intently. 'Can't stop rowing, growing, changing, and moving on.'"

Students gathered for a rigorous pre-season and 13-week rehearsal process to perform the full-length Broadway version of Tuck Everlasting. On Broadway, 27 actors were used to tell this story; Newton Country Day's cast used just 20 actors to play all the roles. The number of quick changes and multiple roles played by our ensemble was truly astounding. There were 99 costume looks with 363 separate costume pieces; 14 students in 23 different wigs; 48 individual quick changes, including 9 rapid costume changes for ensemble dancers; and the record for fastest quick change in the show was a swift 10 seconds.

The technical crew built the set and props, ran the spotlights, lighting board, sound board, and students took on leadership roles behind the scenes as stage manager, assistant choreographer, and assistant director. The process culminated in three beautiful performances to packed houses and grateful audiences.

Congratulations to the cast, crew, and everyone who made this production possible.

CAST
Winnie Foster: Katelyn Hanson '26
Mother: Cat Cole-French '25
Nana: Giselle Montoute '26
Jesse Tuck: Sofia Ayala '26
Miles Tuck: Elizabeth Keefe '27
Mae Tuck: Abigail Unger '25
Angus Tuck: Eleanor Allen '25
Man in the Yellow Suit: Adele Touloukian '25
Constable Joe: Lillie Sitt '28
Hugo: Caroline Condon '27
Miles' Wife: Zayde Martinez '27
Corps de Ballet (Memories, Spirits, Patrons, Carnies): Mariamawit Afework '27, Erin Bourque '27, Kareena Chaudhry '27, Caroline Hoenscheid '28, Anastasia Horgan '27, Margot Pagliano '27
Travelers, Townspeople, Carnival Workers: Rebecca Chen '28, Cecilia Culver '25, Abigail Louissaint '28, Zayde Martinez '27

PRODUCTION / CREATIVE
Stage Manager: Fiona Jobson '25
Assistant Stage Manager: Avery Spalding '25
Assistant Directors: Cecilia Culver '25, Adele Touloukian '25
Dance Captain: Cat Cole-French '25
Assistant Dance Captains: Mariamawit Afework '27, Erin Bourque '27
Stage Crew: Caroline Condon '27, Anna Goodman '27, Jane Kim
Stage/Run Crew: Phoebe Bui '27, Diana Campolongo '28, Abigail Hirsch '27, Sandy Kario '26, Jordan Rich '28, Catherine Wu '27, Sophia Zaphiris '27
Costume Run Crew: Alessia Velutini '27, Sophia Yang '27

Director/Music Director: Corey Everly
Assistant Music Director: Monique Byrnes
Choreographer: Leigh Lucey
Technical Director: David Farreh
Lead Costume Designer: Emily Damron
Assistant Costume Designer: Jez Insalaco
Produced by: Melissa Davenport P '29

ORCHESTRA
Keyboard 1/Conductor: Corey Everly
Keyboard 2: Monique Byrnes
Reed 1: Zack Bacak
Reed 2: Brandon Hagan
Trumpet: Christopher Mish
Guitar/Fretted Strings: Robert Draper
Violin/Viola: Caroline Leguia
Cello: Linda Hwang
Bass: Sahil Warsi
Drums: Brian O'Neill
Percussion: Casey Voss

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
The cast, crew, and directing team of Newton Country Day School's production of Tuck Everlasting: The Musical are very thankful for the support of:

Mrs. Jessica Hooper
Ms. Nicole Noel
Ms. Melissa Bleakney-Dalton
Ms. Katherine Spelman
Mr. Casey Young and the Facilites Dept.
Ms. Tina Lim
Ms. Laura Kelly
Ms. Abby Woodworth
Dr. Cara Cole
Dr. Crystal Mims
The Families of our Cast and Crew

TUCK EVERLASTING: THE MUSICAL
Book by Claudia Shear & Tim Federle
Music by Chris Miller
Lyrics by Nathan Tysen
Based on the novel Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Orchestrations by John Clancy
Vocal Arrangements by Chris Miller
Ballet Music Arranged by David Chase
Originally Produced on Broadway by Grove Entertainment, Arlene Scanlan & Michael Jackowitz, Howard & Janet Kagan, & Barry Brown
World Premier Produced by Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, GA
Susan V. Booth, Artistic Director