From Cats to Wicked, Broadway has always loved a good blockbuster. But in recent years, we have seen a shift towards productions of a smaller scale, like Avenue Q or The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The same trend is playing out on Melbourne’s amateur scene, and for every production of Les Misérables or Beauty and the Beast, we’re seeing a production of Songs for a New World or A New Brain. 

PEP Productions, a new company based in Melbourne’s East, hopes to continue this trend, starting with Urinetown. Theatrepeople sat down for a chat with PEP Productions committee member and Urinetown director, Julia Roper. 

Theatrepeople: Tell us a little about PEP Productions.

Julia Roper: PEP Productions is a new theatre company brought about by eight enthusiastic young performers who wanted the chance to bring to the stage some of those fantastic small-cast shows and Off-Broadway shows that the larger theatre companies tend to overlook.

TP: What was the motivation behind starting the company? 

Julia: I guess you could say we have sometimes felt limited at the show options we could become involved in and we saw there was room in the amateur theatre market to produce those popular shows that don’t get much of an airing in Melbourne, such as Bat Boy, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change, Parade, and Songs for a New World.  The list goes on, really. 

The idea first came up when we were having a drink together after a show rehearsal we were all involved in. That was two years ago. Since that time, the idea was put on the backburner a few times but with much research and hard work, we eventually reached the point where we stopped talking about it and started actually doing it!

TP: How is PEP Productions different from other amateur theatre companies?

Julia: I would like to think that PEP is a company prepared to take risks because of its love of theatre. And we hope Melbourne audiences will enjoy the theatre choices we make.

TP: Moving on to Urinetown, what made you choose this particular show as PEP’s first production? 

Julia: Because Urinetown has everything: a mix of lovable, roguish characters, a well-paced engaging storyline, witty dialogue and catchy musical numbers – a formula certain to please even the most critical of audiences.

TP: Can you tell us a little bit about the show?

Julia: It’s a very tongue-in-cheek tale of rebellion against the establishment as one young lad leads the town’s poor folk in a fight to be able to “pee for free”. But before you say, “What the…?” the town has been in drought for 20 years and water restrictions include no more private bathrooms for anyone. People are forced to pay extortionate fees just to “do their business” at a public amenity, and anyone caught peeing behind the bushes or anywhere else is denied a trial by jury and carted off to Urinetown, a place no-one ever returns from.

TP: What can we expect from this production of Urinetown?

Julia: The cast is amazing. We have been very fortunate in attracting some of Melbourne’s finest amateur performers and audiences will not be disappointed with the interpretation of the characters they portray. Not having seen a production of Urinetown myself, I would hope that my directorial ideas are fresh and appealing, and it’s been a pleasure working with MD Malcolm Fawcett, who certainly knows how to get the highest vocal qualities out of the cast. And the production team has also excelled in those essential areas such as set, costumes, lighting and sound. Can you tell I’m excited about this show?

TP: What is your favourite thing about the show?

Julia: I could list many things here but if I had to choose one, I’d have to say my favourite thing about Urinetown is Mark Hollmann’s energetic score, particularly the Act 1 Finale. How Hollmann intertwines those multiple melodies and makes it work is a masterpiece.

TP: Melbourne recently entered Stage 3 water restrictions.  Why is Urinetown such an important show at this time?

Julia: While Urinetown is a comical show, it also presents a serious warning regarding the irresponsible use of water and the disturbing impact of drought. Imagine the state of our country should we have to endure this drought for 20 years as the people do in Urinetown. I wonder what sort of restrictions would be enforced on entering Stage 20 water restrictions and what sort of effect that would have on our economy as well as our family lives, social activities and work opportunities. Would we resort to desperate measures as the people do in Urinetown? Who knows? It’s worth more than just thinking about – it’s worth taking steps to conserve our water usage now because no-one knows what the future may bring.

TP: There was a lot of discussion on Theatrepeople late last year about the difficulties amateur companies face in casting male roles.  Have you had any trouble attracting male talent?

Julia: Not really. Sure, you’ll always have more females auditioning than males, but we’ve been lucky enough to attract a great group of talented guys. Ideally, I would have liked maybe one more guy in the ensemble but maybe that’s just me being greedy!

TP: So, what’s next for PEP Productions?

Julia: To be honest, we’re waiting to see if this show attracts the audience we need to continue as a theatre company.  So please, buy a ticket to Urinetown and bring your friends along too! If all goes according to plan, we anticipate bringing high-quality theatre and music theatre to Melbourne audiences for many years to come.

PEP Productions presents Urinetown

 Maroondah Secondary College Theatre
Brentnall Road, Croydon
Melways Reference 50 E3

Saturday February 24 at 8pm
Sunday February 25 at 3pm
Thursday March 1 at 8pm
Friday March 2 at 8pm
Saturday March 3 at 3pm
Saturday March 3 at 8pm

Tickets: $25 Adult, $20 Concession/Groups 10+

Bookings: 0423 935 320 or pep.productions06@gmail.com

For more information about PEP Productions and Urinetown, please visit the PEP website at http://www.pepproductions.org.au.