For years, whenever the production team at Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance needed a particular prop or costume, they had to search in different storage locations in town.
At any given time, there was at least two scene shops used to store costumes, props and set pieces.
âIf you needed a red tie, we would be like, âWhere is the red tie? Is it in that building or that building?ââ Jamie Lawson, artistic director for Theatre Alliance, said. âWe had to drive to it.â
Those days are gone.
In February, Theatre Alliance moved out of its rented performance space at 1047 Northwest Blvd. and completely made the move to its permanent new home at 650 West Sixth St in downtown Winston-Salem.
Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance plans to visit an imagined not-so-distant future when it puts on its outdoor version of the musical satire, âUrinetown: The Musical.â The creation of Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis, the inventive musical won multiple awards when it appeared on Broadway in 2001.
Jamie Lawson is directing the musical with the aid of Maggie Gallagher (music director) and John C. Wilson (choreography, who is also acting).
The musicalâs publishing company describes âUrinetownâ as a story about âa Gotham-like city where a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanityâs most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides that heâs had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom.â