Urinetown

directed by Teresa Cruz
music and lyrics by Greg Kotis
book and lyrics by Mark Hollman
music direction: Jill Brunelle
choreography: Emily Brankman and Ava Dobro
scenic design: Elizabeth Olson
lighting design: Sam Biondiollo
costume design: Sabrina Notarfrancisco


Connecticut College
March 2024

The Connecticut College Departments of Theater and Music present Urinetown, taking place this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the Athey Center at Palmer Auditorium. Urinetown is directed by Conn alum, Teresa “Tess” Cruz ’16 and features a company of over 50 students, faculty, staff, and guest artists. It promises a lot of song and dance about life in a world that often feels like it's in the toilet.

Greed, love and revolution become monopolized in this year’s musical! Winner of three Tony Awards, Urinetown satirizes capitalism, the legal system, populism, public toilets and “do-good” musical theater itself. Inspired by the works of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, Urinetown is wildly irreverent and no one is safe from its scrutiny and sharp wit.
Urinetown was produced on Broadway in September, 2001 by the Araca Group and Dodger Theatricals in association with TheaterDreams, Inc., and Lauren Mitchell.

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“Welcome to Urinetown! Not the place, of course, the musical!”

  • "So you're no different than lowly me."

  • "Sure, Little Sally I'm feeling generous tonight."

  • "And, welcome home!"

  • "Remember, Bobby, what became of him"

  • "The spires of Urinetown peaking out beyond the horizon."

  • "... and we are all, so poor!!"

  • "See that you don't end up like your father."

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Rich vs Poor. Order vs Chaos. Love vs Life.

““It’s absurd. I can’t believe we get to get onstage and tell this story, use this kind of humor.””
— Tess Cruz

“What kind of musical is this?! The good guys finally take over

and then everything starts falling apart?!”

“Haha!” - Everybody after hearing the title of this show. And, you know what? Even if that wasn’t the case for you, you’re here now. Welcome! To Urinetown! Not the place where we are all doomed, but the Connecticut College departments of Theater and Music produced event! (Special shoutout to the Dance Department and Theater Services). I graduated from Conn in 2016 with a degree in Theater and Psychology and I did, in fact, dream of coming back to direct on the mainstage. Connecticut College is where my experience in theater went from a hobby to an active practice of collaboratively engaging with the complex truths of our world. Theater is able to incite change because it is an art deeply centered around our humanity. Yes! Even something like Urinetown! Haha! Urinetown works because of the silliness, there is room for all to find access to its point. It is a musical for musical lovers, a comedy for the clowns, and by they end, we will tell you what you should go home a google. But for this moment, it is enough that you bought your ticket and showed up tonight. To Urinetown! Haha! Whose in town? WE’RE IN TOWN!! Which town? The we’re-all-in-the-same-boat kind of town. The well-we-all-need-to-use-the-bathroom kind of town. The it’s-scary-to-think-of-our-collective-water-usage-but-it-is-less-scary-if-we-can-consider-our-future-TOGETHER kind of town. Enjoy the show! Haha! 

-Tess Cruz, 2024

“As for the people of this town? They did the best they could.

But they were prepared for the world they inherited, weaned as they were on

the legend born of their founding father’s scare tactics.”