urinetown

Director’s Note

Creator Greg Kotis originally conceived of Urinetown: The Musical while visiting Europe in 1995.  After performing in Eastern Europe, he and his girlfriend decided to stop in Paris for two-weeks before returning home to the States.  Realizing that their $300 wouldn’t take them far, they conserved money by sleeping in train stations, eating the cheapest food they could find, and since toilets were all pay-per-use . . . they avoided going to the bathroom as much as possible! While searching for amenities in Paris, Kotis imagined a town where all people had to pay to pee. Upon returning to United States, he pitched the idea for a show to his friend and past collaborator Mark Hollmann and Urinetown was born.

Stylistically, Urinetown draws from various genres in American musical theatre, while simultaneously mocking them.  The music will remind you of your favorite musicals (Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, Les Miserables to name a few) while using Brecht and Weill inspired devices to poke fun at their structure.   Urinetown ran on Broadway for 2 ½ years, won three Tony Awards, and is regularly produced on professional, educational and community stages across the country.

This show sides with no particular ideology and Kotis said he didn’t write Urinetown to be inherently political.  However, he did intend for us look critically at our way of life.  During this politically charged time, there are many issues that divide us.  While we don’t have to pay every time we pee, this show uses the absurd to allow us to laugh at how seriously we often take ourselves.  So sit back, think a little and enjoy a lot! 

-Stephanie Dean

Dedication

On July 8, 2012, our esteemed colleague, Associate Professor Stephen Landon unexpectedly passed away.   As the department’s resident set designer, he had already begun working on Urinetown.  A month before his passing, I met with the design team, and Stephen presented some research he had done for the show.  While his preliminary rendering was not complete enough for us to produce on stage, his research influenced the concept, set and costume designs for this production.  When exploring images connected to water, he came across Tamera de Lempicka’s 1929 painting titled “Woman Bathing.”  Inspired by this painting, he developed the idea of mixing Art Deco and Contemporary styles to create his version of a futuristic post-apocalyptic city.  The designers and I have worked to bring his vision to life, and this show is dedicated to his memory.