Interview: Shepherd University Scene Stealers to Premiere URINETOWN

To pee or not to pee? That is the question in the outrageously satirical musical Urinetown, premiering this weekend as the Shepherd University Scene Stealers fall musical in Shepherdstown, WV.

Directed by Austin Susman, Urinetown is set in a dystopian future society, where a terrible 20 year drought has caused a water shortage and forces the mayor to charge the residents admission to public restrooms for one of nature's basic rights. A common man, Bobby Strong, has had enough after his family member is arrested for failing to "pay-to-pee" and Bobby decides to start a revolution to lead the city to freedom.

Urinetown is a stark departure from a traditional musical comedy in that it parodies everything from traditional musicals to modern legal, political and social justice systems.

"This show is unique in that its music is so varied. You go from a Slavic romp to a macabre jazz tune in a matter of minutes, and that's just one example of how quickly it can change. Music evokes a good deal of emotion, so one of the challenges in acting comes in that you're aiming to carry yourself with a sense of style and flair that's appropriate for the tone of the story at the time, and that's often accentuated by the music" said Greg Havenner, who plays Cladwell.

"The most enjoyable part of the rehearsal process for me is when the cast gets a particularly complex or challenging number down really well. Seeing something that I've envisioned in my head come to life on the stage is an incredible thing" said director Austin Susman.

Urinetown is produced by the Shepherd University Scene Stealers, the student-run musical theater performance group. The show is entirely organized, rehearsed and run by students, which means students are responsible for scheduling and running rehearsals, obtaining props and costumes, confirming locations, advertising the show and many other duties. The Scene Stealers organization was founded in 2011 and this is the tenth musical production the group has produced.

"There are lots of subtleties that go a long way in making a character just "click" with the story, and I feel that I've learned a lot about my own abilities in my time spent working with the cast and production team. These people are very passionate about what they do. I found a group of welcoming theater enthusiasts and whenever something needed work, it was solved as a team. That effort and technical know-how really does show in the production itself" said Havenner.

"This is the first show I've ever directed, and it's incredibly challenging, but equally rewarding" said Susman.

The cast of students are ready to premiere this hilarious musical for an audience.

"It's a very unique show, and I think we've done a good job of putting this production together. The show has a lot to say about theatre, and society, but it's good for a laugh. We've got a great cast, and come opening night, it's going be a great show!" said Susman.

The Urinetown cast also features Harry Koval as Lockstock, Kira Northrop as Little Sally, Hope Wolford as Pennywise, Matt Grey as Bobby Strong, Jenn Dickey as Hope Cladwell, Kasi Axline Kidwiler as Mr. McQueen/Hot Blades, Lance Wines as Fipp/Robby, Cullen Byers as Old Man Strong, Emily Greer as Soupy Sue/Millenium, Shenikha Adolphe as Little Becky Two Shoes/Cladwell's Secretary, Simone Reynolds as Josephine Strong and Carlos Amaya as Barrell.

Urinetown will run November 6 and 7 at 7:00 PM and November 8 at 2:00 PM. Performances are located at the Shepherdstown Train Station, 100 Audrey Egle Drive in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Tickets are $15 for adults, $9 for non-Shepherd students and $7 for Shepherd students with a valid Rambler I.D. Tickets can be purchased at the door or reserved in advance. To reserve tickets, please visit http://scenestealers.weebly.com/.

Photo Credit: Shepherd University Scene Stealers

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