Topic: College of Fine Arts
March 21, 2007
<b>Ross Compton and Keely Leonard are several of the students who will be featured in Ball State~~~s upcoming production of "Urinetown," which opens March 29 at University Theatre.</b>
You just have to "go" to Ball State's University Theatre March 29 to see the opening of "Urinetown," a Broadway musical about a town plagued by a water shortage.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. March 29-31 and April 4-7 and at 2:30 p.m. April 1 in University Theatre.
A "pay for pee" monopoly rules the world of this musical, and those who break the rules are sent to Urinetown, a place where many "go," but none return! The heroic spoof of modern musicals is set in a Gotham City-type comic book world. The set and costume designs reflect the 1940s-styled illustrations of Will Eisner.
"The dirt-poor heroes in 'Urinetown' fight for the right to pee free," said Michael Daehn, assistant professor of directing and theater education at Ball State and director of the production.
Written by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis, "Urinetown" is a Tony Award-winning musical parody that features a wide variety of songs, dances and comedy.
"You don't need to have seen lots of other musicals to think it is funny," Daehn said. "But if you have seen a lot of musicals, you'll have even more fun with the spoofs and tributes of other landmark shows like 'Les Miserable,' 'West Side Story' and even 'Annie.' Either way, you should leave the theater thinking, 'wow, that was fun!'"
The cast and crew totals almost 50 Ball State students, including 25 students as principle actors.
Alumni Holly Stults is on board as the musical's choreographer. She was the Ball State theater department's first dance major and Miss Ball State in 1989 and later became a successful professional actor and choreographer. Stults works with the education and outreach department of the Indianapolis Civic Theatre.
Award-winning designer John Stark from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana is the scenic designer for "Urinetown." Stark designed the set for last year's musical, "Cabaret," at Ball State.
Tickets cost $12.50 for adults, $11.50 for Ball State faculty and staff, $9.50 for senior citizens and for students. Tickets can be purchased at the University Theatre box office. Call the box office at (765) 285-8749 for more information.
For more information about "Urinetown," contact Daehn at (765) 285-8740.
By Kim Jackson