Unusual Name, "Exceptional" Production

For many students at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School over the years, acting out has not only been tolerated—it’s been strongly supported and encouraged.

The student participants of ABRHS’s drama club, Proscenium Circus, have long enjoyed a tradition of conceptualizing, designing, directing, and acting in productions that many in the community regard as exceptional.

Now in its 43^rd season, Proscenium Circus has produced plays and musicals that have varied from the emotionally charged and controversial, such as 2007’s The Laramie Project, to the scary-whimsical, like last fall’s The Witches. And its most recent offering, Urinetown: The Musical, was no exception in providing viewers an exciting—if not downright one-of-a-kind—experience.

In the play, the basic premise—everyone has to pay to use the bathroom, all the time—parodies serious themes of environmental degradation, dwindling water supplies and ecological sustainability. Set primarily at a public toilet called Public Amenity 9, Urinetown highlights the efforts of its protagonist, Bobby Strong, as he incites a rebellion against the corporate bigwigs who control, and charge for, the use of the filthy toilets.

On its face, while the musical may seem to push boundaries, it was chosen mainly for its “contemporary” feel, said Linda Potter, Theater Arts director at ABRHS.

“I wanted to do something that was new and different and not a revival,” Potter said of her choice. “It was written just a few years ago so it incorporates a contemporary style with modern dance elements.”

And while the play’s narrator, Officer Lockstock, intones several times that “this is not a happy musical,” Potter said it was also selected largely for its wry humor and irony.

“It has a serious point but it’s based in comedy,” said Potter. “It’s done in a sassy, funny, irreverent way and it also pokes fun at musical theater genres.”

Potter, who’s been directing for almost 30 years, started doing so on a contractual basis at ABRHS in 1996 and was eventually hired as staff in 2006. In her role as Theater Arts director, she not only directs almost all of Proscenium Circus’s larger productions but also teaches a full slate of courses offered through the school’s drama department, which include acting, advanced acting, musical theater and directing.

Such offerings “really give the kids (in drama), and there about 350 of them, a strong place they can build from,” Potter said.

And while the fall play and winter/spring musical are the “ones people know,” said Potter, the students in Proscenium Circus this year will actually participate in about 25 productions that vary in scope from the larger, better-known shows for the public to small, student-directed classroom plays.

Some such upcoming events include hosting a preliminary round of the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild (METC)’s high school festival, part of a competition among 115 high schools in the state, on March 5, which Potter called “a real opportunity to showcase (ABRHS’s) ability.”

What’s more, said Potter, Proscenium Circus will feature an evening of one-act comedies in April and a competition of plays done by all classes—freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors—in May.

“We change it up in the spring to keep things interesting,” said Potter.

The student participants appreciate the variety of Proscenium Circus’s opportunities and offerings, calling their most recent production “exciting and different” and saying its message was timely and relevant for viewers.

Freshman Nick Faville, whose role as Robbie the Stockfish was his first as a Proscenium Circus actor, said he’s been acting for years in a variety of other community productions and enjoyed the opportunity to grow in his latest role.

Urinetown “was really interesting and challenging and I know it will help me be a better actor,” he said.

Maddie Freeman, a Proscenium Circus veteran who’s performed in a variety of ABRHS productions, including last fall’s The Witches, said the musical’s breaking of the so-called “fourth wall”—where the cast interacts directly with the audience—made the production particularly interesting, as did the issues it took on.

“There was definitely a more modern feel to this one,” said Freeman, who played Penelope Pennywise.

Potter said she pairs crew members with professionals—“everything from set designers to stage managers”--during production so that “kids can really learn from the best.”

Set run crew chief Tim Cesarini, who’s been a crew member since his freshman year, said he has “learned a lot” from his years in Proscenium Circus and that he intends to continue theater “at least on the side” when he sets off for college in the fall.

Though challenging to work with, he said, the two-leveled sets used in Urinetown provided him and other crew members an “exciting and elaborate” way to showcase their skills.

For their part, audience members after last Friday night’s showing waxed enthusiastic, elevating Urinetown to the level of what they say they’ve come to expect from ABRHS productions.

“Of all the plays I’ve seen, this one was exceptional,” said Harold Henry.

“With the A-B Proscenium Circus, you always get a very high-level performance. Everything from set design to the casting is always done very thoroughly,” agreed frequent playgoer Randall Warniers. “And Urinetown was just as impressive. I knew nothing about it before I went and that made it even more impressive.”

What’s more, he said, the drama club “has a substantial talent pool. It’s not like only a couple of them are talented—they all are.”

Author's note: All photos are courtesy of James Dempsey. Photo coordination and captions are courtesy of Susan Williams, Urinetown: The Musical's assistant director.