“No matter what background you come from, no matter what your politics are, no matter what it is about you that might make you different from somebody else in society, not being able to pee when you need to pee is something that everyone in this world can relate to.”
So says Canadian College of Performing Arts (CCPA) managing artistic director Caleb Marshall while discussing CCPA’s upcoming online presentation of Urinetown, a play that deals with what happens when there’s no public places left to urinate. Marshall—who is also directing the play—says that the show is funny yet thought provoking, and it doesn’t shy away from bigger questions, like what the role of big institutions is in society.
“The way to connect with this show is for people to think about any natural, integral human behaviour that we take for granted that is suddenly privatized by a corporation and taken away from us,” says Marshall.
Whether it’s those long, six-feet-between-us lines or the ubiquitous face masks we’ve grown used to seeing on everyone, being in a slightly dystopian future is something familiar to audiences, says Marshall. The show was chosen in the summer of last year with COVID in mind.
“Integrating COVID protocols within our show worked within the world of the play,” he says. “We didn’t want a play where we’re just putting masks and things on top of the play; we wanted them to integrate into the play, so having face shields, masks, COVID barriers rolling around on wheels—it really works within the world of the play.”
The show is also being presented in two runs with two separate casts. Marshall says that doing that while following COVID-19 protocols is a big undertaking, but it means twice as many people get to work in a particularly hard-hit industry.
“By doing two separate versions, it really means there’s twice as many parts available,” he says.
Two shows also means a larger creative team and stage management team. Along with Marshall are five associate directors, three stage managers, two music directors, two choreographers, and a choreographer mentor.
“The production stage manager oversees the entire project, and each deputee oversees their given cast and their given production,” says Marshall. “This allows us to have multiple rehearsals happening at the same time. What we’ve been doing for the last few days… we’re blocking a scene with one company in a studio with the set taped out on the floor, [and] the other company is in another studio with the set taped out on the floor, and they’re watching, virtually, what’s happening in that rehearsal hall, then we rotate.”
There’s more learning opportunity for everyone that way, says Marshall, especially considering two shows doesn’t mean double the amount of rehearsal hours.
“We need to keep everyone active at all times. Not just for their learning, but to ensure that we can deliver them two fully realized productions with confidence,” says Marshall.
While the blueprints and design elements of the show will be the same, each cast gives their own take on the material, says Marshall.
“Actors bring their own choices, bring their own unique impulses,” he says. “There’s a lot of nuances and difference in characterization.”
Urinetown
Friday, May 28 to Saturday, June 5
$15
ccpacanada.com/urinetown