Florida Rep's Conservatory Program Stages URINETOWN This Weekend

Florida Rep's Education Department is pleased to announce the opening of URINETOWN, The Musical! This hilarious and irreverent tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution plays this weekend, May 30 at 7pm and May 31 at 2pm and 7pm in the Historic Arcade Theatre.

In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage caused by a 20-year drought has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides he's had enough, and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom!

Urinetown, The Musical, is presented as part of Florida Rep Education's Theatre Conservatory, an audition-only program that puts young actors onstage. The Conservatory Program is designed to give students an introduction to the professional world with real-life regional theatre experience.

This is Florida Rep's fourth season producing musicals for its highly popular Conservatory Program. "I'm very proud of the work and creativity our Conservatory students bring to the table each year!" says Education Director, Claire K. Simpson, "Urinetown will be no exception! Audiences are in for an irreverent, comedic treat!"

The production features a company of 28 of Florida Rep's finest young performers ages 13-21. The cast consists of students from Canterbury School, Cypress Lake Center for the Arts, Cypress Lake Middle, Evangelical Christian School, Fort Myers High, Lehigh Acres Center for the Arts, Naples High, North Fort Myers Center for the Arts and Oasis Middle. These young artists auditioned in February with nearly two hundred other students for spots in this competitive Conservatory Program. Over the course of 2 months, the cast of Urinetown has rehearsed with working theatre professionals to learn staging, choreography, and music.

Florida Rep's Education Associate, Taylor Murphy Hale (ZAP!), directs the production, and is joined by an expert team including Assistant Director, Allison Popieski; Choreographer, John Ramsey; Music Director, Matt Koller; set designer, Larry Cook; lighting and costume designer, Kate Smith, and Assistant Scenic Designer, Erin Thomas.

Urinetown, The Musical, book and lyrics by Greg Kotis, music & lyrics by Mark Hollmann, is inspired by the works of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. It plays in the Historic Arcade Theatre for 3 performances only on Friday, May 30th at 7pm and on Saturday, May 31 at 2pm & 7pm. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students and are available online at www.floridarep.org or by calling the Box Office at 239-332-4488.

For more, visit www.floridarepeducation.org.

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