“URINETOWN: The Musical” extended its audition period until Jan. 8 of next year, giving students more time to rehearse this winter break.

Professor Jude Navari, co-director of the production, revealed the reasons for the organizers having decided to extend the period.

“Our initial audition announcements to students (in October) coincided with the weeks just before and after the November elections, which, for many students, were distracting and overwhelming,” Navari wrote. “In mid-November, students were also dealing with the rising winter surge of infections in the COVID-19 pandemic. Now in December, there is still so much uncertainty in our state, our country, and our world about what the future holds in 2021. Maybe after the end-of-the-semester winter break and some rest, students will be able to refocus on the spring semester, and decide to participate in a fun, interactive, creative, and collaborative project!”

Next semester’s production and preparations would be done entirely online, both synchronously and asynchronously. Unlike the way it would be if it were in person, where the cast would give several performances, they will be using their class times to rehearse and perform scenes that will be recorded to produce a movie.

“Several theatrical rights organizations have now made the performance rights for plays and musicals available for streaming performances as live performance venues continue to be closed during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Navari said. “At the end of April 2021, we will host virtual ‘performances’ of URINETOWN online, but our ‘performances’ will be showing the ‘movie’ that we made together.”

The directors are aiming to cast a group of 16 to 20 students for the production. But with fewer number of students enrolled in DANC 410 (Dance for Musical Theater Production) and MUS 410 (Voice for Musical Theater Production), Navari expressed the risk of the courses being dissolved and ultimately canceling the production even before the spring semester begins.

Auditionees are asked to create an audition video and sing 16-32 bars of both up-tempo song (fast-tempo) and ballad (slow tempo). Auditionees must send their videos or links via email to [email protected].

Directors asked auditionees not to sing any selections from URINETOWN for their audition video.

Students cast in the musical are required to enroll in courses DANC 410 and MUS. 410 next semester. Both are two-unit classes and would make up the time needed to rehearse and to film the show.

“At Skyline College, our spring musical productions have been a premiere artistic collaboration and showcase of student talent for the past eight years. We hope enough interested students will audition so we can cast the show and keep this Skyline College annual student opportunity going while we are remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Navari wrote.

For more information, visit their website (https://skylinecollege.edu/music/springmusical.php) or email Jude Navari ([email protected]) or Gary Ferguson ([email protected]).