URINETOWN PRODUCING A THEATRICAL LIGHTING DESIGN
By
TIMOTHY A. REED
SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE PROFESSOR STAN KAYE, CHAIR
PROFESSOR MIHAI CIUPE
A PROJECT IN LIEU OF THESIS PRESENTED TO THE COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF FINE ARTS
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
2013
© 2013 TIMOTHY ALAN REED
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My journey would not be complete without taking a moment to express
gratitude to all those who have helped me along the way. Thank you to Stan Kaye,
Todd Bedell, my fellow students, faculty, and staff at the University of Florida. Thank
you to Van Tinkham, John Bezzell, Jim Christian, and Catherine Zublin at Weber
State University. Most importantly, I want to thank my amazing parents, David and
Leslie, who have always supported and encouraged me on my incredible journey to
follow my dreams. I would not be here today without the love, support, and
encouragement from each of you and many, many others.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………...……………………………………..………… i
ABSTRACT……………….……………………………………….............................…………………………... iv
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1
Play Synopsis................................................................................................................................ 2
Overview.......................................................................................................................... 2
Act One.............................................................................................................................. 3
Act Two............................................................................................................................. 6
Production History..................................................................................................................... 9
RESEARCH................................................................................................................................................. 11
THE DESIGN PROCESS...........................................................................................................................12
Design Meetings........................................................................................................................ 12
Design Development............................................................................................................... 14
THE CREATION OF THE PRODUCTION......................................................................................... 16
Budgetary Allocations and Other Concerns.................................................................. 16
Paper Tech................................................................................................................................... 17
Technical Rehearsals.............................................................................................................. 18
Dress Rehearsals...................................................................................................................... 18
Performances............................................................................................................................. 19
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................................21
Commentary............................................................................................................................... 21
Self Evaluation........................................................................................................................... 21
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RESEARCH IMAGES............................................................................................................................... 23
PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHS......................................................................................................... 31
DESIGNER PAPERWORK..................................................................................................................... 43
Magic Sheet................................................................................................................................. 44
Follow Spot Sheets.................................................................................................................. 45
Light Plot..................................................................................................................................... 48
Lighting Section........................................................................................................................ 49
LIGHTWRIGHT PAPERWORK........................................................................................................... 50
Channel Hookup....................................................................................................................... 51
Instrument Schedule.............................................................................................................. 62
Instrument Type Count......................................................................................................... 78
Color Schedule........................................................................................................................... 79
PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT................................................................................................................ 86
Specification Sheets................................................................................................................. 87
PUBLICITY DOCUMENTS.................................................................................................................. 229
Poster.......................................................................................................................................... 230
Program..................................................................................................................................... 231
News Articles........................................................................................................................... 240
LIST OF REFERENCES........................................................................................................................ 242
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH................................................................................................................... 243
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Summary of Project in Lieu of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Master of Fine Arts
URINETOWN
PRODUCING A THEATRICAL LIGHTING DESIGN By
Timothy A. Reed
May 2013
Chair: Stan Kaye Major: Theatre and Dance
This document reviews the lighting design process from concept and pre-‐
production through the final realization of the musical Urinetown, produced by the
University of Florida School of Theatre and Dance. Performances were held in the
H.P. Constans Theatre, fall semester 2012. Involvement began early Spring 2012
with group design meetings and individual discussion with the director, Dr. Charlie
Mitchell. Research and collaboration continued over the following nine months,
during which time concepts were solidified and challenges were solved. As the
lighting designer for this production my process included the development of
lighting plots, cue scores, and related documents. The realization of the production
included lengthy sessions of programming and overseeing crews for hanging and
focusing of all theatrical lighting elements. The process concluded with multiple live
performances.
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The University of Florida’s School of Theatre and Dance produced Greg Kotis
and Mark Hollmann’s Urinetown, opening on Friday, October 5th, 2012. Urinetown
was assigned to me as my artistic project in lieu of thesis as partial fulfillment of my
Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre. I served as the lighting designer for the
production with costume design by Lee Martin and scenic design by Anne Tully. The
production was directed by Dr. Charlie Mitchell with Erin Connelly serving as the
stage manager.
I was excited to work on this joyously cynical musical, beginning early spring
2012 with a closing performance on the 14th of October 2012. The following
information comprises my design process starting with initial research and
synopsis. It includes changes that were made and adaptations that occurred along
the way, which impacted my overall design. The final design was a successful
production that lead to a KCACTF honorable mention for lighting design.
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CHAPTER TWO
PLAY SYNOPSIS AND PRODUCTION HISTORY
PLAY SYNOPSIS
Overview
The musical begins in the worst part of town at the public urinal; this is
where we meet our narrator Officer Lockstock and our hero Bobby Strong. We hear
of the drought that has caused a water shortage so extreme that private toilets
became unthinkable. When Bobby’s father does not have the fee to pay to use the
facilities, he is carried away to Urinetown. While the poor are down on their luck,
the people of Urine Good Company, led by Mr. Caldwell B. Cladwell, are busy writing
fee hikes and bribing the legislature. Bobby meets Hope Cladwell and instantly falls
in love. She tells Bobby to follow his heart “wherever it commands”, which leads to
Bobby starting a rebellion to free the people from the chains of Mr. Cladwell. When
the rebellion goes wrong Bobby flees to the sewers with the rebel poor and Hope as
their hostage. The rebellion threatens to kill Hope, but Bobby comes to her rescue
pleading the case of freedom and agrees to meet with Cladwell to find a solution for
the people. Cladwell tries to bribe Bobby and when Bobby refuses to take the bribe,
he is carried away to Urinetown. The poor spare Hope as she leads revenge on her
father sending him to the same fate as Bobby. She basks in the peoples glory
allowing all to “pee for free” ignoring the warning signs of the drought until all the
water dries up, recognizing their town for the first time for what it really was,
Urinetown.
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Act One
Scene One. Officer Lockstock begins the act by addressing the audience
directly, establishing himself as the narrator of Urinetown, “not the place of course,
but Urinetown the musical”. He establishes the setting as the poorest, filthiest public
urinal in town, in a Gotham-‐like city, sometime after the stink years. He tells the
audience of the water shortage that requires everyone to pay a fee to the Urine Good
Company for the “Privilege to Pee”. The UGC has established harsh laws about public
urination, causing the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer, until they are no
longer able to pay. Ms. Pennywise runs the public amenity with Bobby Strong as her
assistant. Hope stumbles by on her way to work for her father, Caldwell B. Cladwell,
the president of UGC. Bobby sees Hope and falls instantly in love with her. At this
point Officer Lockstock makes a joke about too much exposition and the show
continues forward. When Bobby’s father does not have the money to pay and asks to
go for free, Ms. Pennywise establishes that she has heard every excuse in the book
and won’t allow anyone to get in for free. When Old Man Strong can no longer hold it
and relieves himself in public, much to the dismay of everyone present, officers
Lockstock and Barrel immediately show up on the scene to cart Old Man Strong off
to Urinetown.
Scene Two. Located in the executive offices of Urine Good Company we find
Senator Fipp meeting with Caldwell B. Cladwell. He is looking to get his pay offs as a
result of passing legislation to raise the fees on the amenities. Once he gets paid he
plans, like all former Senators have, to collect and take off for Rio. Hope arrives at
her first day working for her father and the company and is introduced to all the
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employees. Cladwell explains that twenty years ago he went to the people of the
community and made a simple proposition: “Look the other way while we run this
company the way we see fit, and we will keep the pee off the street and the water in
the ground.” He created cash flow and a large, monopolizing corporation to be a
force of “good” in the world. Hope joins the operation having just returned from
school, with the best stuff filling her head to match what’s filling her heart, prepared
to “manipulate great masses of people.”
Scene Three. Later that evening Little Sally runs into Officer Lockstock on a
street corner. She is trying to scrape together change for a late night pee before the
fee hikes are put in place. She asks about why they don’t focus on other problems
that would be caused by a water shortage. Lockstock laughs and tells her that they
need to focus on one big thing instead of a bunch of small things and sends her on
her way. Barrel enters having just cleaned up from Old Man Strong’s trip to
Urinetown, and they sing about the journey to Urinetown. Hope stumbles by the two
of them and they question about her being alone in that part of town. Hope explains
that everyone has a heart so she doesn’t need to fear criminals or even policemen.
Bobby wanders by and, when accused of taking a “late night, behind the bushes kind
of stroll,” he reminds them he doesn’t need to do that with his job and the two
policemen exit. Now alone in the starlight, Bobby asks Hope about what she said
about everyone having a heart, because his feels empty. She tells him that he needs
to follow his heart no matter where it tells him to go and teaches him how to listen
to his heart. They find out that their hearts are in sync, telling them both that they
want a “world with peace and with joy, with plenty of water for each girl and boy.”
5
Their hearts tell them that they will find someone whose heart wants the same thing
and they fall deeply in love and promise to see each other again.
Scene Four. The next morning at the amenity Mr. McQueen announces the
new fee hikes as established by the UGC and approved by the government. The
people are up in arms but Penny tells them that she has to enforce the fee or she’ll
be carted away to Urinetown. Bobby enters and tells Penny that the law is wrong,
allowing the people to pee for free. Penny flees, fearing what is to become of them
for breaking the law.
Scene Five. Back at the UGC headquarters, Fipp is collecting his cash and
about to head off for Rio when Penny enters and tells them that the people are
rioting at the amenity. Hope is confused, always trying to find the good in people,
and she can’t understand why things are going wrong. Cladwell rallies the staff to
“beat” those who disobey and break the law, and when Hope opposes her father, he
tells her to embrace it like he has. The UGC staff heads off to snuff out the uprising.
Scene Six. Back at the amenity the crowd has gathered to pee for free. When
the police arrive and everyone begins to panic, Bobby stands up boldly and reminds
everyone to stay calm. Bobby states that they are in control of the amenity and the
people pee free. Cladwell demands that they all be arrested because he owns the
amenity. Hope tells Bobby that she wanted him to follow his heart, not to seize an
amenity, and he pleads that by doing this the people will truly be free today.
Cladwell argues that if the people pee for free that tomorrow will be devastating.
The two groups argue back and forth about life today versus tomorrow. The poor
6
decide the only way they can get away with the uprising is to kidnap Hope. They do
so and flee to the underground sewers.
ACT TWO
Scene One. The act begins with a musical montage explaining what
Urinetown is to each group. To the poor Urinetown is “swift and brutal punishment”
that leads to your end. Cladwell says that Urinetown is a tool to enforce his iron rule
and “keep the poor in check until the day they die.” Cladwell also says that if “Hope
is not returned, it’s Urinetown for all the land!” While Bobby and his mother are
delivering memos to the other assistant custodians, trying to get them to join the
rebellion, he tells his mother that Urinetown is a lie and that the poor needs to fight
for their rights until they win. Finally when officer Lockstock catches and questions
Little Sally about where they are keeping Hope, she tells him that Urinetown is a
“metaphysical” place wherever people learn to live in fear. Therefore she feels they
are already living in Urinetown.
Scene Two. Hiding in the sewer system we find the poor with Hope as their
hostage inside their secret hideout. Paranoia has begun to set in, making them feel
that the policemen have caught Bobby and that they should just kill the girl and get
it over with. Little Sally pleads with them, saying “killing people is wrong,” but they
argue back that it feels so good. Just as they are about to string her up Bobby enters
to stop them. The poor want to kill her for revenge against her father’s crimes but
Bobby doesn’t let them because he loves her. He tells them that they have to do
whatever it takes to gain their freedom. Penny finds them in the sewers and tries to
negotiate a meeting between Cladwell and Bobby. Bobby agrees to meet so they can
7
end the struggle and he can be together with Hope. The poor threaten that if
anything happens to Bobby that they will kill Hope.
Scene Three. Bobby meets with Cladwell at the UGC headquarters where he
is bribed to end the conflict. When Bobby refuses to take the bribe he is arrested and
sentenced to Urinetown. The people begin to recognize that Cladwell is only out for
himself and begin to question why they ever listened to him in the first place.
Cladwell sets his plan into place to get Hope back and end the uprising. Bobby is
taken to the roof of the UGC headquarters where he finds out that one interpretation
of Urinetown is death and they push him off the edge.
Scene Four. Back at the secret hideout, Little Sally returns to report on
Bobby’s meeting with Cladwell. She saw Bobby get pushed off the roof and heard his
last words, telling the people to fight for what they know is right, and then he
expired. As the poor are about to take Hope’s life, Penny volunteers herself in her
stead, claiming to be Hope’s mother. Hope finally gets to speak, telling them she’d
understand if they killed her, but volunteers to lead the rebellion and take revenge
on her father for killing Bobby. The poor accept Hope, knowing that Bobby loved
her “and in time, they would come to love her too,” and head off to “do to them, what
they were ultimately going to do to us.”
Scene Five. On their way to the UGC headquarters the rebel poor kill
senators, police officers, and other UGC officials along their way, who all claim that
they aren’t sorry for what they did. Hope confronts her father and sentences him to
the same fate as Bobby. She then takes over the company issuing new laws and
reforms, allowing the people to “pee for free.” However she ignores the warning
8
signs of the drought, choosing instead to be loved. When the water all dried up, they
recognized their town for the first time for what it was. What it was always waiting
to be. “This is Urinetown!”
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PRODUCTION HISTORY
Urinetown began previews on Monday, August 27th, 2001 at the Henry Miller
Theatre. Reviewers were scheduled to attend on September 10th and 11th, and after
the reviewers love of the first night, the producers were looking forward to their
opening on September 13th opening. However with the tragedy that took place the
morning of September 11th, 2001 the performance never took place. Broadway’s
future was unsure, as was the future of this absurd piece of musical theatre that
might never make it as result of the events from that frightful day. With the help of
the Mayor of NYC, Broadway theatres began performances again the Thursday after
the attacks and so did Urinetown. On opening night the director, John Rando,
addressed the audience and said, “Another word for life is creativity. Theatre could
not save lives, nor could it put out fires, but it could offer creativity and life, which is
what we hope to offer tonight.” With that being said Urinetown officially opened
September 20th, 2001 one week after its intended premier. Urinetown received ten
Tony nominations later that season, and won three Tony Awards (one for the book,
one for the score, and a third for direction).
Urinetown began its life at an experimental theatre company in Chicago
called the Neo-‐Futurists. From there, it was performed as part of the NYC Fringe
Festival, which caused the production to receive “buzz” and find support for an Off-‐
Off-‐Broadway production. It quickly moved to an Off-‐Broadway theatre and found
its way to a Broadway stage in shortly over a year, running for 965 performances.
There is an original cast recording of Urinetown, and the play has been published by
Faber and Faber. There was a national tour and a flurry of international
10
productions. The play continues to be produced by professional, regional, and other
theatre companies as well as many Universities.
11
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH
One of the joys of working on a production like Urinetown is the flexibility
that is allowed to you as a designer. The setting for the production is simply stated
as a Gotham-‐like city and the time period being sometime after the “Stink Years.” Set
in a fictional location and time period, work was done to pull any given
circumstances from the text that would aid in the production.
The bulk of my research came in the form of color temperature. I wanted to
make sure and establish a large difference between the world surrounding the
public amenity, and the corporate world of the Urine Good Company. For the
Amenity I came across a Marconi bulb that burns at a very low color temperature,
this gives it a very warm, amber, even dirty look to the bulb. The color choices I
would use would be very similar to this color. For the Urine Good Company, I
wanted to have the audience feel like they were in a sterile environment like that of
an operating room. I researched lamps that had high color temperatures to give that
cool, white, almost blue look of an operating room. I also did a lot of research on
sewers; I wanted to find light quality that would be present in this environment.
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CHAPTER FOUR
THE DESIGN PROCESS
At the University of Florida the design process is quite long, beginning early
Spring with productions that aren’t realized until the Fall. Several official and non-‐
official meetings took place during the Spring semester, leaving us the summer to
digest what we had planned to execute in the spring. However, with me running a
small theatre company in Maine for the summer, meetings continued back in Florida
and several things that had been discussed had been changed upon my return.
Despite the changes that were made, quick thinking and strong communication with
the director allowed for a smooth tech process on my end. The result was a fluid and
collaborative opening night that the audience was thrilled to be a part of.
Design Meetings
The first design meeting was held on March 26th, 2012. It had been one week
before we knew what production we would be doing; therefore it had been
somewhat of a scramble to get the script and prepare for the meeting. Having
worked on the production several times before, I entered the meeting with several
ideas, and yet was still excited to see what the director’s vision would be for this
production. Dr. Charlie Mitchell had been assigned to direct in the place of Professor
Tony Mata who typically directs the musical. Having worked with Dr. Mitchell
before I was excited to collaborate together again.
When Dr. Mitchell began to discuss the play, his mind was not entirely made
up on what direction he wanted to take it. He told us that he had never worked on
the production before and that he had only read it in preparation for that day’s
13
meeting. We discussed overall concepts, ideas, and themes, but he wanted it clear
that nothing was set in stone at this point in the process and he wanted it left open
to be able to mold the production into what would serve it best. We discussed where
we would like to have the production set, and decided that it would definitely be in
the future, but as if it could be today.
During the following week, each designer met with the director individually
to talk about his or her individual contribution to the overall production. When we
met, we discussed having strong differences in the light qualities that would
surround the different settings. Cool, bright, clean light to surround the UGC, while
the world of the poor would be shadowy, warm, and stale. We discussed that
callouts would be made to many famous musicals from over the years, I was asked
to figure out ways I could contribute to those callouts.
After our initial individual meetings with the director; Lee Alexander Martin
(costume designer), Anne Tully (scenic designer), and myself had a meeting to
collaborate and see what direction everyone was thinking. The idea of corporate
branding from the UGC was discussed at length, using the tools of propaganda to
establish the UGC as a major power entity. The character “Drippy” was created as a
corporate mascot, and we came up with ways to use this branding in uniforms,
posters/propaganda, and even a doll that one of the characters would carry around.
We worked on establishing a history to the story, so everything that made it to stage
would have context and a background story, trying to find truth and honesty in this
satiric production.
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Our second meeting took place on April 11th, 2012. Dr. Mitchell was
beginning to develop a clearer picture of how he wanted the overall production
shaped by this point. We discussed the set at length, beginning with one idea that by
the end of the meeting became something entirely different. Everything was still
open to be discussed, from projections to where the set would even be located. I
pleaded for the set to be condensed to a small acting area so we would have more
variety in the lighting. Because of this, it was decided that the set would be placed
entirely downstage of the proscenium.
The final official meeting took place on April 25th, 2012. By the end of this
meeting, we had an established direction for work. The director was happy with the
direction the costumes were headed. I had a clear vision about what he wanted from
lighting. There were renderings from scenic, however there were many specifics
that still needed to be established.
Over the course of the summer I began to receive many emails and phone
calls to discuss changes that would be taking place. Everything began to evolve and
by the time I returned to the university, the entire set was completely different.
Design Development
Many decisions have to be made by a designer over the development of the
production. When I first met with the director, I latched onto the idea of making the
two worlds different through lighting. I came across a Marconi bulb; it has a long,
warm burning filament that looks dirty. When I showed them to the scenic designer
and director, they both liked them but weren’t exactly sure what to do with them.
15
When I told them of my idea to replace the house lights with hundreds of these
bulbs hanging at varying heights and wrapping around onto the set to make them
feel as if they were part of the world they were excited. I went to work to figure out
how to do this project as efficiently as possible. I knew it would be a lot of work and
relatively a small portion of what I would have to accomplish as a designer.
Footlights were a very important decision for the production that was
established in the first design meeting however, somewhere over the course of the
summer these were cut out of the scenic designers drafting. A lot of work and
convincing was required to get them back into the production. A rolling staircase
was added into the design, with the director wanting to make call-‐outs to other
musicals I decided to make each individual step light up as a character walked
down. I came across a fiber optic star drop that was being stored temporarily in our
facility for a show that would take place after Urinetown closed. When I was given
permission to use the drop I then incorporated that into the overall design as well.
With all of these practical set elements adding up, I had a lot of work to do not to
mention I still had to work on all the standard theatrical lights.
Choices were then made about the placement of theatrical fixtures. A lot of
care had to go into the positioning so the lighting instruments would not only fit in
the allotted ceiling space, but also that the light would hit the stage at the right angle
and not cast shadows on other instruments or architecture. Texture, focus, and color
also had to be decided on so everything could be in place before technical rehearsals
began.
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CHAPTER FIVE
THE CREATION OF THE PRODUCTION
A production has many phases it must pass though before being realized on
the stage. From the original concept and ideas through tech week and moving on
towards opening night. Final decisions have to be made, not only an artistic look but
also as budgetary means. A lighting designers final decisions and implementation of
the design is accumulated during tech week.
Budgetary Allocations and Other Concerns
Towards the end of Spring semester my advisor, Stan Kaye, told me that
through long discussions with the university we would now be able to rent
equipment for productions. This was exciting because I felt moving lights could
immensely benefit the production. The obstacle however was this was the first time
rentals had been allowed so a budget had not been established. When I asked for an
estimate of how much was allocated I was not given a number. I began to price out
many different rental packages that ranged from around a thousand dollars to tens
of thousands of dollars. I wrote a proposal to the department divided up into four
different price brackets and explained what could be accomplished with each
package. Once money was secured from the department, I then had to go through
the process of finding the equipment, which was surprisingly difficult due to several
conventions that were taking place at the same time as our production. However,
through many emails to manufacturers and distributers, I was able to secure a
rental package of eight moving lights.
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Besides the Marconi bulbs that would be used as house lights, many set
practical’s had been agreed upon. The majority of my budget needed to go to car
batteries and power inverters to accomplish the many effects the design team
wanted to accomplish. With all of these expenses, the majority of my color and
templates were pulled from the universities stock to stay on budget.
One of the primary concerns for the department at the time was our lighting
console. The major piece of equipment that controls all of the lights for the
production was beginning to crash on a regular basis. Money had been allotted
through the department to purchase a new console. However the manufacturer was
having issues on the assembly line and our unit was delayed. It was becoming
dangerously close to tech week and the console had not arrived. It finally came on
the day I was scheduled to focus all the lights. Quickly we changed everything over
to the new system and got back on track as quickly as possible.
Paper Tech
The paper tech process was relatively straightforward and effective. It took
place over the course of two afternoons between Erin Connelly who served as the
stage manager, Gerard Hale who was the sound designer, Anne Tully from scenery
and myself. During these meetings we discussed the placement and order of the
lighting and sound cues as well as all of the scene changes. This was the chance for
the stage manager to organize everything into the prompt book to make technical
rehearsals run as smoothly as possible. It also serves as a chance to get everyone on
the same page so individuals are not waiting on others and everyone’s time feels
valuable.
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Technical Rehearsals
After weeks of rehearsing with the cast, technical rehearsals are when the
designers have the chance to layer on all the elements they have been working on.
We began a cue-‐to-‐cue rehearsal Saturday morning with the entire cast on stage.
This was the first chance for me to set the levels of all the lights that had been
incorporated into my plot. I moved very quickly working with my assistant Dan
Hopper and my programmer Christopher Stumreiter to set and record over three
hundred lighting cues and different effects over the course of the musical as well as
implementing two follow spots and operators into the design. Due to large amounts
of preparation, these days went relatively smoothly. They can tend to be very long,
but I did everything in my power to keep things moving, achieving looks that I was
proud of and the director felt fulfilled his overall vision.
We had to move very quickly because we had to end early due to the
orchestra needing to move in and have a rehearsal with the cast and sound designer.
We were able to get through the entire show before they had to move into the
theatre. I took this opportunity to revisit any cues that I wanted to make
adjustments to. This proved to be very helpful and I was able to leave early feeling
like the design was in an excellent spot to move into dress rehearsals.
Dress Rehearsals
We had our first dress rehearsal on Tuesday night after completing a run
through on Monday with little issues. Having worked closely with the costume
designer, Lee Alexander Martin, along the way, I knew what most of the costumes
would look like far before they reached the stage. The color choices seemed to blend
19
seamlessly between the designs. The major issue I began to see right away was with
the large amounts of hats being worn on the actors. Because this had been
discussed, we were able to compromise and have the hats worn a little bit further
back on the actor’s heads. I was able to add supplemental light from the footlights to
help fill in any shadows. Additional levels were adjusted to give better composition
to each moment on stage. Between the costumes and actors in the foreground to the
scenery and cyclorama in the background, the lights were balanced to bring focus
and mood to the production.
With all of the elements coming together in a just a few days, the production
began to take on a life and world of its own. The director’s vision had been realized
to the best of everyone’s individual abilities, and the synergy established between
the designs was something we were excited to bring an audience in to experience.
Performances
Opening night ran very smoothly, there were no problems with cues, and
other then slight timing issues between stage management and spot operators, the
performance was very successful. Audiences seemed to be very happy with the
production and the design team was proud with what was finally produced on stage.
Over the course of the run there were a few problems that occurred. During one of
the workdays the fiber optic curtain got unplugged by the scenic department, they
never told the electrics department because they felt they had put it back together
correctly. I received a phone call during the channel check and was able to walk
them through making it work. However that evening in the performance report I
noticed it did not work during the performance. The following day the cable was
20
replaced as it had been broken and there were no further problems with the drop.
Other then a few lamps that burned out over the course of the run which were all
easily resolved, the production had no problems and retained the artistic integrity
over the course of the run.
21
CHAPTER SIX
CONCLUSION
Commentary
Urinetown had a successful run opening on October 5th, 2012 and closing on
October 14th, 2012. The collaboration between director Dr. Charlie Mitchell and the
artistic team was executed successfully. Costumes gave the production a huge sense
of character, and scenic adequately transformed us into the world of the play. Stage
management successfully pulled together the many different groups and kept
everyone organized and focused over the entire process. Overall, I would say that
the show came together with much success and was something the University of
Florida would be proud of.
Self Evaluation
As a whole, I feel that Urinetown was an excellent example of all my talents
culminating together in my design. Due to my experiences over the past three years,
I have been able to hone my craft from school to the professional work I was able to
do. I have been taught and have observed many wonderful designers that I feel I
have been able to adopt good habits from. I feel that I excel during technical
rehearsals and with communication between directors and other members of the
artistic team. I feel that I can continue to grow and develop skills on the paperwork
end of my designs as I continue to strive to achieve excellence. This is not to say that
my design was without flaw. As an artist you continually work on your design
process, continuing to create until you find a creative stopping point. I feel that I was
able to achieve such a point with the production Urinetown, and feel it is an excellent
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example of the skills I have developed over my tenure as a student at the University
of Florida.
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APPENDIX
RESEARCH IMAGES
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Image A-1 Marconi Bulb
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Image A-2 NYC Subway
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Image A-3 NYC Subway
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Image A-4 London Sewer
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Image A-5 London Sewer
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Image A-6 Joshua David Madsen Sewer Rust
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Image A-7 Surgical Room
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APPENDIX
PRODUCTION PHOTOS
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Image B-1 “Prelude”
Image B-2 Act I Scene 1
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Image B-3 “Urinetown”
Image B-4 “Urinetown”
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Image B-5 “It’s A Privilege To Pee”
Image B-6 Act I Scene 2
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Image B-7 “Mr. Cladwell”
Image B-8 “Cop Song”
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Image B-9 “Follow Your Heart”
Image B-10 “Look At The Sky”
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Image B-11 “Don’t Be The Bunny”
Image B-12 “Act 1 Finale”
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Image B-13 “Act 1 Finale”
Image B-14 “Act 1 Finale”
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Image B-15 “What Is Urinetown?”
Image B-16 “Snuff That Girl”
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Image B-17 “Run, Freedom, Run”
Image B-18 “Follow Your Heart (Reprise)”
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Image B-19 “Why Did I Listen To That Man?”
Image B-20 “Tell Her I Love Her”
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Image B-21 ”We’re Not Sorry”
Image B-22 “I See A River”
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APPENDIX
DESIGNER PAPERWORK
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MAGIC SHEET
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SPOT LIGHT TRACKING
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APPENDIX
LIGHTWRIGHT PAPERWORK
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APPENDIX
PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT
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APPENDIX
PUBLICITY DOCUMENTS
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LIST OF REFERENCES
Hollmann, Mark, and Greg Kotis. Urinetown. New York City: Musical Theatre
International. 2001. Print.
Hollmann, Mark, and Greg Kotis. Urinetown: The Musical. New York: Faber and
Faber, 2003. Print.
Wheeler, Clark. Antelope Canyon Light Beam. 2004. Clark Wheeler Photography.
Getty Images. Web. 20 March 2012.
Theiss, Mark. Sunlight streams thorugh cracks in a slot canyon. National Geographic.
Getty Images. Web. 20 March 2012.
Reed, Timothy A.. 7th Avenue. 2012. Timothy A. Reed Photography. 12 May 2012
Jimenez, Carlos. Pot Clogging Sewer. 2011. Arizona Police Department. Web. 18
March 2012.
Medical Entry Test Guide. 2012
<http://medicalentrytest.blogspot.com/2012/05/medical-‐equipment-‐
introduction-‐to.html>. Web. 28 March 2012.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Timothy A. Reed has been involved in the theatre since age five. He was seen
on stage performing on a regular basis and began working in technical theatre at
twelve years old. After serving a religious mission he attended Weber State
University and graduated with honors from the musical theatre program. During his
time at the University of Florida, he designed and was the associate artistic director
at a small summer theatre in Maine. He has assisted many designers across the
United States working on productions for: Broadway Cares, New Years Eve with the
Times Square Alliance, Asolo Reparatory Theatre, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. He
looks forward to a BRIGHT future.
