SDA wows in year’s biggest show

A musical that is pertinent to current social issues and expresses satirical humor with a dark twist, “Urinetown,” one of the USC School of Dramatic Arts’ spring productions, amazed the audience with impressive performances and stage design. The show was staged at Bing Theatre and ran from March 30 to April 5 and was live-streamed on selected days. 

Written by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis and directed by Assistant Professor of Theatre Practice Scott Faris, “Urinetown” takes place in a dystopian, drought-stricken city. To save water, the city worked with a private company and took extreme measures by requiring all citizens to use public restrooms for a steep fee. This forced the poor and oppressed people to start a revolution to change their situation. SDA’s rendition was quirky and entertaining while providing witty commentaries on serious societal issues including environmental protection, political corruption and corporate greed. 

Students who participated in the production mentioned that “Urinetown” was one of the biggest productions that the University has done in quite some time. Ethan Clayton, a junior majoring in theatre with an emphasis on acting, believed this provided them with real professional experience.

“SDA hasn’t invested this much in a show in a really long time,” Clayton said. “It was really cool to get to be in a higher-budget, very technologically advanced show because it introduced us to what we will see professionally post-grad [and] really get familiar with that.”

“Urinetown,” with support from USC Visions & Voices, also broke new ground by including online streaming and a 360-degree virtual tour of the venue, offering audiences access to immersive experiences beyond the traditional stage.

Aside from the technological aspect, the students worked hard to present the audience with their finest performances. “Urinetown” required strong vocal and theatrical skills from the cast. The performers needed to be nuanced in delivering their performances to create the best parodic effects and intrigue the audience throughout the show. 

Emmy Lane, a senior majoring in theatre who played Robbie the Stockfish and the dance captain in the ensemble, said they started the rehearsal on Jan. 31 and committed six weeks to the production. According to Clayton, the cast had a Zoom call with Hollman during the rehearsal process to learn about his original idea and motivation to write the story.

SDA’s “Urinetown” also includes several dynamic dance numbers that require precision and energy. Choreographed by Dana Solimando, the dance performances were creative, energetic and exciting, making them one of the highlights of the show while also demanding the actors’ stamina.

Lane believed that the cast shares a strong camaraderie that made them prepared for the challenges during the rehearsal.

“We knew going into [practices] kind of like that it was gonna be long hours, long days,” Lane said. “And I think just knowing that altogether, we were able to really support each other and so that helped us through it.”

Ginger Gordon, a senior majoring in theatre, played Josephine Strong and was a member of the ensemble in the show. She said the education they received at SDA has also helped them with their overall performance.

“I think that SDA has prepared us for this kind of environment throughout our education throughout the years because we’ve all been acting and dancing and singing for a long time,” Gordon said. “I think we’re all excited to do it, and we prepared for the long hours and we think it’s worth it.”

SDA’s “Urinetown” also attracted some special audiences. Actor Mark Hamill, who was known for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” movies, was one of them. The cast met Hamill after the show and said he enjoyed their performance. 

“We got to meet him briefly, and he just loved it,” Lane said.

Another special audience member was President Carol Folt, who loved the students’ portrayal of their characters. The interviewees recollected the time when President Folt came backstage to meet with the cast and crew.

“[Folt] came right up to our [cast member who played] Lockstock and said, ‘Can you say Little Sally for me?” Lane said. “And then he said Little Sally in his Lockstock voice. And she was floored. She loved it. It was like she was starstruck by him, which I thought was really cute.”

In terms of the plot and themes of “Urinetown,” SDA’s production has a lot to offer in substance. The artistic team noted that the drought setting of the musical is especially relevant to people living in California, whose lives are also affected by droughts. A quotation from the character Officer Lockstock was also emphasized on the show’s program: “Don’t you think people want to be told that their way of life is unsustainable?”

Clayton said that just like many other musicals, “Urinetown” carries important messages that encourage the audience to contemplate. 

“Speaking to the theme … politics are arguably continuing to become more and more corrupt. You could take some warning signs from [the show],” Clayton said. “It’s saying everything in a very palatable way, hoping that that message kind of sticks in the back of your head for a little bit to think about which is what all musicals, for the most part, try to do.”

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly quoted Gordon as saying that “SCA has prepared us.” Gordon actually said “SDA has prepared us.” The Daily Trojan regrets this error.