First Year Players, a student-run musical theater organization, has selected the play for its annual spring show, ‘Urinetown,’ is scheduled for April 2-4.

‘Urinetown’ is a long-running off-Broadway musical that lets nothing slip past its farcical reach. The play describes the citizens of a small town that has suffered a water shortage who must use public facilities run by a corrupt, evil corporation. Since its opening in 2001, it has won three Tony Awards for Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical.

The play satirizes corporations, social activism, bureaucracy and small-town politics. Co-producer Chris Cory, a senior public relations major, said the choice of ‘Urinetown’ was appropriate.

‘The play has a good fit for right now,’ he said. ‘It’s got a lot of social and political themes; it makes fun of large corporations. Everything’s a satire about the economy that they’re living in, within the show, which is what relates to today’s economy.’

The members of FYP spent all summer preparing for the announcement. In May, Cory and co-producer Sammy Kanter handpicked their directors, choreographers and other executive board members, instructing each new staff member to research a handful of shows over the summer.

The group reconvened at the end of August with 22 different options to further research and debate show possibilities. They ultimately narrowed the field down to 12, then six shows by the first week of school. After careful deliberation, the group unanimously chose ‘Urinetown.’

Cory and Kanter chose it because of its award-winning musical score as well as the thematic elements that were appropriate to current events.

‘One of the plots in the show is about a corporation that charges people to use the bathroom,’ Cory said. ‘It’s making fun of big corporations and the power that they have.’

The show was also chosen because of the availability of roles, which allowed more students to participate. With a cast of freshmen or first-year transfer students, the play will allow more students the chance to transfer singing, dancing and acting skills from high school or to try out for the first time. First years will be under the guidance of staff and directors, who are mostly upperclassmen who continued after performing in previous FYP productions.

FYP has performed a musical every spring since its founding 17 years ago. The group has been featured as Bloomingdales’ Entertainer of the Year, as well as a performer at Syracuse University’s 44 Stars of Excellence event.

Auditions for ‘Urinetown’ will begin in the spring. For the current semester, FYP is hosting upcoming information sessions on Oct. 21 and 23 and is planning a series of workshops in the first two weeks of November. The producers stress that this is not an audition, and there should be no fear of rejection.

‘No strings attached,’ said Kanter, a senior newspaper journalism major. ‘It’s not a pre-audition; it’s purely for fun.’

Kanter said that participation in the group is a great way for students to complete the transition into college while holding onto something they enjoyed in high school.

‘I think one of the cool things about this organization is that we’re a family as well,’ Kanter said. ‘We kind of serve as a sort of theater fraternity because we participate in social and community events. If you’re looking for a group to get involved in and are interested in theater, then the staff are really welcoming and are willing to take you on this great experience.’

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Published on October 5, 2008 at 12:00 pm