Penny Seats Theatre Company & University of Michigan's Environmental Biotechnology Group Partner for Water Conservation

A local collaboration between Ann Arbor's Penny Seats Theatre Company and the University of Michigan's Environmental Biotechnology Group will feature the musical Urinetown: The Musical! and water conservation research in a creative way during the next three weekends starting July 30.

This collaborative art and engineering collaboration will be featured on the radio show It's Hot In Here 88.3 WCBN FM (www.hotinhere.us/) on Friday July 31 at noon, with the recording to be posted shortly thereafter on the Penny Seats' website and Facebook page.

An Environmental Engineering research team from the University of Michigan is studying how human urine and products derived from it need to be processed to safely fertilize food crops. The University of Michigan is one of five institutions involved in this first large-scale pilot project of its kind in the United States. They will be providing mobile restrooms during the Penny Seats' performances of Urinetown in hopes that patrons will help with this project.

"This is a fun and unique partnership to be sure. We are thrilled with the opportunity, and this aligns with the Penny Seats mission ... it's educational, it benefits society, and it brings value to our loyal patrons who are so kind to brave the great outdoors every summer for our shows," comments Lauren London, Urinetown's director and the Penny Seats' president.

Urinetown: The Musical! The Tony-award-winning hit from 2001, will be performed by The Penny Seats Theatre Company July 30, 31, Aug 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, and 15 (all shows at 7 pm). Set in an admittedly absurd dystopian future where one must pay to pee, the show lampoons corporate bureaucracy, pie-in-the-sky optimism, revolution without a plan, and the musical theatre genre itself. With a full pit orchestra (led by Richard Alder) on the band shell stage, the action takes place around the audience in the park. Featured performers include Brendan August Kelly (Ypsilanti), Roy Sexton (Saline), David Francis Kiley (Ann Arbor), John DeMerell (Walled Lake), Sarah Ann Leahy (Ann Arbor), Paige Martin (Ann Arbor), Cathy McDonald (Plymouth), Christina McKim (Albion), Jenna Kellie Pittman (Waterford/West Bloomfield), Linda Rabin Hammell (Detroit), Jeff Stringer (Jackson), Maika Van Oosterhout (Ann Arbor), and Daniel Bachelis (Howell). Production photos taken by Scarlett London.

London says the piece is a natural for the group: "Since its turn on Broadway, Urinetown has been a favorite of performers, for its snappy score and hilarious, wink-to-the-audience feeling. It's a perfect show to place in our park, where the cast can interact up close with the audience, and take them into the show's silly world. Our cast is filled with performers who excel at just this type of theatre, and we're thrilled to bring it to the park."

Advance tickets are available at the group's website, www.pennyseats.org. Although the curtain goes up at 7:00pm each evening, pre-show picnicking is encouraged, and the group will sell water and concessions at the park as well. All performances will be at the West Park band shell. Patrons are encouraged to bring a picnic dinner to enjoy at the park before or during the show. Lawn chairs, hats, bug spray, and other outdoor gear are also encouraged. Alcohol may also be brought and enjoyed responsibly. Water and concessions will be available for purchase. More information about tickets, parking, and available packages, is available on the company's website, www.pennyseats.org.

Photo by Scarlett London

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