CWU Theatre Department to present ‘Urinetown’ starting Friday

When you hear the title of Central Washington University’s spring theater production for the first time, your brain might trick you into thinking it’s something else.

As one cast member noted, people often hear, “You’re in town.”

“And I’m like, no, no. It’s pee,” said Lola Pagel, an ensemble actress in the upcoming production of Urinetown, which opens Friday, May 8, at 7:30 p.m. in McConnell Auditorium.

Directed by Assistant Professor of Performance Kathryn Stahl, the CWU Theatre and Film department will present five evening showings of Urinetown over the next week and a half, plus two Sunday matinees on May 10 and May 17.

General admission tickets, available on Wildcat Tickets, are $22 and $18 for CWU students. Admission for senior citizens and K-12 students is $20.

The satirical comedy musical premiered on Broadway in 2001 and centers around a 20-year water shortage that has led the government to place a ban on private toilets. This reality has forced the town’s citizens to pay the Urine Good Company (UGC) for the luxury of using their for-profit facilities.

When UGC raises the prices for using the public amenities, the lead character, Bobby Strong — played by Joey Mazzoncini III — leads a revolt. Along the way, Bobby falls in love with Hope Cladwell (Bailey Frasier), the daughter of UGC tycoon Mr. Cladwell (Dylan Santini).

“Performing in Urinetown has been a unique experience for me because it’s a satire, and we’re so used to playing our characters with so much realism,” said Mazzoncini, a junior Theatre Arts major at CWU. “I often find myself thinking I should make a more traditional choice with the character, but then I remember that it’s a satire, and I can be big and funny — and that’s OK.”

Likewise, Santini has enjoyed playing a less traditional character and finding the freedom to experiment with different approaches.

“The show is so well written that there’s so much you can dive into,” the senior clinical physiology major said. “It’s been really fun to be able to make different choices and find new ways to play our roles. In every scene, there are moments where you could say something a certain way, but instead, you can try a different approach and interact differently with the cast and the audience. There’s just so much to play with in this script.”

Frasier, who plays the female lead opposite Mazzoncini, believes Urinetown is a one-of-a-kind musical that pushes the cast’s creative boundaries in new ways, and she is excited to show the CWU and Ellensburg communities why it’s such a fun production to be involved in.

“It’s stupid, but in the best possible way,” the senior Theatre Arts major said. “The story feels very real, but the comedy is so juicy that makes you laugh instead of cry. The script is so hilarious, and that’s why it has resonated so much with me.”

The students are quick to credit Stahl and Musical Director Callum Morris with making CWU’s adaptation of Urinetown so special. And while they have all put in months of hard work to prepare for their upcoming seven-show run, their professors have found a way to pull all of the key elements together.

“It’s so remarkable how Kathryn can come into a room and have an idea of what she wants to do,” said Marcos Alba Estrada, the production dramaturg who also plays Officer Barrel in the musical. “She sets a really good foundation for us, but she still allows a lot of room to play and make new discoveries for ourselves. We open this week and I still find myself doing something slightly different every time.”

Santini concurred, noting that Stahl has been the ideal director for such an off-beat production like Urinetown.

“Kathryn has such a great theater mind and she’s a great mentor,” he said. “I feel like I can talk to her about anything having to do with theater, and she’s always going to have the right thing to say that will lead me in a good direction. She’ll never try to tell me what to do, but she always sends me down the right path to make those discoveries for myself.”

Added Frasier: “She creates a wonderful environment where it’s OK to, quote-unquote, ‘fail,’ and make those choices you’re scared to make but you do them anyways. And you discover so much when you do that.”

Pagel, the ensemble cast member, explained that Stahl has managed to walk the fine line between director and mentor, allowing the cast to find new depths in their roles.

“She’s always so encouraging and you never feel like you’re doing something you’re not supposed to,” she said. “That’s something I have really appreciated because it can be easy for a director to say, ‘that looks good,’ and leave it at that. Kathryn has always been good at seeing the work we are doing and affirming that we’re heading down the right path while also challenging us to go further.”

Not to be forgotten, the students also thanked Morris for his hard work behind the scenes to ensure the music aligns perfectly with the scenes on stage. As Stahl noted, Morris has been working on the musical direction for Urinetown since last June.

“If Callum wasn’t there, I think we’d be screwed,” Frasier joked. “He teaches us all of our parts and how to harmonize, and he helps us with our vocal tone; when to be louder here or quieter there. His insight has been so helpful because, without him, I don’t think we would know what to do to make these characters come to life.”

While Stahl and Morris have played a vital role in preparing the cast for the spring production, they are quick to credit the dedication of their students, the real stars of Urinetown.

“I know the word ‘hobby’ sometimes gets thrown around with theater, but these young people have been in the rehearsal room since the start of winter quarter,” Stahl said. “The amount of work that goes into something like this is huge, and they all have other stuff going on in addition to doing this. They’re all just awesome, and I’m so excited for them to share this amazing production with the community.”