Being Blue at PSU

By Jack Briggs Urinetown is one of the those shows that slid under the radar when it got to Broadway. Even with its three Tony wins for best direction, choreography, and orchestration, the hit comedic satire opened on September 21st, 2001, a little over a week after the attacks of 9/11, which explains some of the distraction. Despite this, it's still being performed around the world today. When the PSU School of Theatre put on this satirical comedy, they really were able to put something together that not only honors the original text, but also allows a reflection on how our world has come closer to Urinetown, the place, and farther from Urinetown, the musical. Directed by the School of Theatre's Professor of Practice, David Kersner, Urinetown covers what happens when corporate greed gets in charge of public need. The world of Urinetown is one that is suffering from a lethal drought. It has shaken the Earth and has forced high regulations on water, which affects many things, s...

By JT Thomas There’s an (ironically) old saying in the English language that I rather like: “out with the old, in with the new.”  Essentially, it means that one should keep moving forward in life, whether that be in gaining new skills, gaining new perspectives, or by realizing that, at a certain point, it’s time to move over so that the next generation can take over. It’s this last part that seems to have the U.S. federal government in a bind; over the past year or so, we’ve seen multiple episodes in which some of our longest-serving government officials have shown the effects of their age. From Senator Mitch McConnell (currently aged 81) freezing in press conferences in July and August, to Senator Dianne Feinstein (age 90 at the time of her death) missing 93 total votes due to her medical absence from the Senate floor between the months of February and May of last year, we’ve seen firsthand the difficulties that are inherent to governing at an advanced age. This issue isn’t limi...