School of theatre and dance going to ‘Urinetown’
Spring musical a comedy, involves a town where residents pay to use the bathroom
Posted on February 18, 2008
Don’t worry dedicated theater fans, you won’t have to hold it much longer! The spring musical will be opening at the Latimer-Shaffer Theatre tomorrow evening.
From Feb. 19 to Feb. 24, students will be performing “Urinetown,” a political satire set in a city where private amenities are outlawed and all residents must pay to use public restrooms.
“This musical makes everyone look funny,” said Kate Arecchi, JMU faculty member and director of the musical. “It shows that people take power too far, and how human everyone is.”
Many hours of preparation and rehearsal have gone into the making of this production. In mid-September, Arrechi had already met with set designers and had completed the set design in November.
Casting took place shortly before break, and a few rehearsals were held during exam week.
“Those rehearsals were pretty intense,” Arrechi said. “We wanted to send everyone home with their notes. Since this musical has more ensemble singing than soloists, it’s more of a challenge.”
Performers have put in an average 20 hours of rehearsal a week since the beginning of spring semester, with the technical crew working several hours a week as well. Arrechi hopes that all who see this musical will enjoy it and recognize the amount of time and energy it takes to put on such a production.
Students can make a pit stop in Harrison Hall to buy tickets to the show. General admission tickets are $12, $8 with a JAC Card. The show starts at 8 p.m. Feb. 19 to 23, and Feb. 24 at 2 p.m.
