Urinetown: From Chicago to Broadway and back
1,003 views · Published 9 June 2011 · 2:35 · Indexed 28 October 2026
Channel: The University of Chicago · 2011 · Education
When alumni Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis created Urinetown: The Musical, they challenged theater convention by drawing on their interests while at the University, and the improvisational skills they honed at Jimmy's Woodlawn Tap.With its toilet-centric setting, a plot where the downtrodden do not triumph, a score with allusions to everything from Kurt Weill to Marc Blitzstein's The Cradle will Rock, the quirky Urinetown was a smash hit, earning three Tony Awards in 2002.The witty musical has been performed from Broadway to London to Tokyo. For 10 days in March, it was the University's Theatre and Performance Studies' main stage production.Hollmann, AB'85, and Kotis, AB'88, spoke with students before attending the Friday, March 13 show. Among their advice: Embrace your inner egghead, and don't be afraid to make it up as you go along."What we had, and what you have, was this goofy, off-beat, reference-level mind," Kotis says. "Urinetown exists because we're products of this school. There's a special thing in the water here...something we can bring to our material that someone from a conservatory or a strict theater writing program can't bring."That's your ace in the hole." ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/UCHICAGOytSubscribe About #UChicago: Since its founding in 1890, the University of Chicago has been a destination for rigorous inquiry and field-defining research. This transformative academic experience empowers students and scholars to challenge conventional thinking in pursuit of original ideas. #UChicago on the Web: Home: http://bit.ly/UCHICAGO-homepage News: http://bit.ly/UCHICAGO-news Facebook: http://bit.ly/UCHICAGO-FB Twitter: http://bit.ly/UCHICAGO-TW Instagram: http://bit.ly/UCHICAGO-IG University of Chicago on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/uchicago *** ACCESSIBILITY: If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please email [email protected].
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