Students at Valley Central High School will bring the Disney musical Newsies to the stage this weekend, telling the story of a group of young newspaper sellers who organize to fight powerful publishers in turn-of-the-century New York City.

The production, directed by Valley Central alumnus Derek DeVoe, is scheduled for three performances: Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 22, at 2 p.m.

Based on the 1992 Disney film, the stage musical features music by eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman, with a book by Tony Award-winning playwright Harvey Fierstein.

Set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century, the story follows Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy who dreams of a better life beyond the hardships of the streets. When newspaper publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raised the price charged to newsboys to buy papers for resale, Kelly rallies fellow sellers to organize a strike in protest.

The musical is inspired by the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899, when a group of young newspaper sellers — led by Kid Blink — staged a two-week strike against major publishers.

The stage adaptation includes several songs from the original film, such as “Carrying the Banner,” “Seize the Day,” “King of New York” and “Santa Fe,” along with new material written by Menken and Feldman for the Broadway and touring productions.

DeVoe said staging the show has been a long-time goal.

“Bringing this production to the stage has always been a dream of mine,” DeVoe said. “I fell in love with the Disney film at a young age and for a long time have wanted newer audiences to experience this story for themselves.”

Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. More information and tickets are available at vchsmusical.booktix.com.

The production is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International, which supplies authorized performance materials for the show.