MEET THE CAST

  • ACT ONE – Musical Numbers

    Consequences / The Breath of Sighs — Sophia, Kara


    Fiddling While the Country Burns — Will, Demi


    The Business Dance — Carl Geier, Electra


    Come Home, Children — Sophia, Will, Demi


    The Industrial Age — Thora, Alberta, Electra


    The Wicked Dice — Carl Geier


    From the Fire — Will, Demi


    The Eye in the Sky / I Sing the Body Electra — Carl Geier, Electra


    Girl Interrupted — Demi, Kara


    Yes Carl, I Am Your Bitch — Carl Geier, Alberta


    The Eye in the Sky Part 2 — Carl Geier


    She Was Right There — Demi, Will, Sophia


    The Father Figure Blues — Electra


    The Cruelest Cut — Sophia, Demi


    Little Details — Carl Geier, Alberta


    Will's Interview — Carl Geier, Will


    Bring Him Into the Fold — Carl Geier, Electra


    Electra Dump — Electra, Carl Geier


    Father Figure Blues Reprise — Electra


    The Wicked Dice Reprise — Carl Geier


    Dickering Over the Price — Will, Kara


    The Child of Silence — Demi, Will, Sophia


    The Eye in the Sky Part 3 — Carl Geier


    The Cruelest Cut Reprise — Carl Geier, Sophia, Kara

  • ACT TWO – Musical Numbers

    The Gauntlet — Demi, Sophia, Dot


    The Bullshit Song — Will, Carl Geier, Electra 


    For What It's Worth — Will, Carl Geier, Sophia, Alberta, Demi, Electra


    First Blood — Dot


    Suicide By Profit — Demi, Sophia


    Sorry I'm Tied Up at the Moment — Electra, Will


    Fessing Up — Sophia, Demi , Kara


    Fuck These Bastards — Alberta Sophia, Demi


    The Nature of Man — Alberta, Carl Geier, Electra


    The Star Spangled Profit — Carl Geier, Electra, Dot


    Time to Go — Alberta, Will


    Le Mort d'Thora — Thora, Alberta


    Take the Money and Run — Carl Geier, Sophia, Demi


    The Battle — Dot, Sophia, Carl Geier, Demi, Will, Alberta, Electra, Kara


    The Breath of Sighs Reprise — Carl Geier


    Aftermath — Sophia, Will, Alberta, Dot


    Your Children Call — Kara

  • CHARACTERS (in order of appearance)

    Kara is a sweet young girl, Sophia's daughter and Demi's twin sister.


    Sophia is the owner of the farm coop and Demi and Kara's mother. 


    Will is Demi’s husband. He is a water resource engineer and hydrogeologist. 


    Demi is Sophia's daughter and a physician. 


    Carl Geier is the head of Big Blue Gold (BBG), a large multinational utilities and resources company. 


    Electra is a geologist working for Carl Geier at BBG.  


    Thora is the machine Alberta invented to extract water from deep aquifers.


    Alberta is the engineer who invented Thora.


    Dot is a journalist who provides both narration and commentary.







     



     



  • BAND

    Mark A. Durstewitz (keyboards)

    Brent Lawrence (guitar)

    Josh King (bass)

    Ryan Friddle (drums) 

Who’s Who

MARK A. DURSTEWITZ Producer / Composer / Lyricist / Keyboards

Mark, the MAD in Madmen and Dreamers and MadElf Arts and Education (501c3), is a creative juggernaut. A natural musician, prolific writer, and published novelist with several award-winning short stories, he has found his milieu at the nexus of storytelling, music and technology. The digital studio is his domain. His primary instrument is piano, and he has played keyboards for many bands from southern to progressive rock, and many projects from studio to venue. Mark’s passion is bringing meaningful stories to the public and calling audiences to action.

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The world has many problems that need to be addressed, but climate change is the mother of them all. Never before in our history have we faced such an existential threat. It threatens everything and everyone and has been downplayed and denied by people with despicable greed.


I have roamed the forests of the eastern third of the US since I was a boy and the changes I've seen in only my lifetime are frightening. It's killing me that we can't get our collective acts together to stop it. I had to get this project to the stage. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had something that might have helped but didn't use it. I wouldn't be able to look my children, nor my grandchildren, in the face if I stood by and did nothing.


We can fix this. We have everything we need to do so. We only have to act together in a determined and sustained way to make it abundantly clear to our elected officials and business interests that we will not allow them to destroy the lives of our children and our children's children. We need everybody.

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CHRISTINE HULL Composer / Lyricist / Vocal Captain / Sophia

Chris is thrilled to originate this role. She co-wrote Water, Inc., recorded the original concept album, and has served as the vocal captain for all phases of this project from the concept album to the sing through in NYC, the previews in the Charlotte area, and now with this amazing cast. Chris also originated the role of the Mother in The Children of Children, another rock musical she co-wrote, recorded and performed Off-Broadway with her band Madmen and Dreamers. She won Best Supporting Actress in a Musical as Harriet in Starting Here, Starting Now. Favorite roles include Velma in Hairspray, Sally in Follies, Maggie in A Chorus Line, Florence Unger in The Odd Couple (Female Version) and Queen Anne in The Three Musketeers. She made her NC debut as Berthe in Boeing Boeing. She is grateful to be on this creative journey with her husband Mark Durstewitz.

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We are at a crossroads where the choices we make will determine the habitability of our planet for our generation and all that follow. Let's Make A Difference!

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ROBERT SEAN PARKER Director

Some of his acting credits include: Albert J. Beveridge in the NYC premiere of Raul Manglapus’ musical comedy Manifest Destiny produced Off-Broadway.  In Chicago, some of Sean’s credits include: Blick in The Time of Your Life, Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol (Provision Theatre), Mortimer in Bertolt Brecht’s Edward II (BOHO Theatre), and Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (Apple Tree Theatre). 


Regional credits include:  Two Gentleman of Verona (Riverside Shakespeare Festival in Iowa City),  Duke Senior in As You Like It, Charlie Brown in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Idaho Repertory Theatre), Johnny in Frankie and Johnny (Clair de Lune).


Film includes: The River Murders, Chasing Robert, Revengends, and Don Walker in The Memoirs of Don Walker.


As director, Sean has directed at Actor’s Workshop of Chicago (now Redtwist Theatre) and Opera House Theatre Company in Wilmington, NC.  While on faculty at Morehead State University, Sean directed Carrie: The Musical, The Children’s Hour, Godspell Revised 2012, and Evil Dead: The Musical.  While on faculty at Ashland University, his directing credits include The Odd Couple, Little Women: The Broadway Musical, The Trojan Women, and Pippin.

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Climate change is real. We must pay attention and we must take action.

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MARIO RENES Composer

Mario, a madman and a dreamer in his own right, conceived the spine of Water, Inc. His primary instrument is bass, and his ability to weave bass tracks into the fabric of sound betrays his classical training on piano and experience with woodwind and brass instruments. Playing in a variety of rock bands, he moved from covers to originals, which led him to Indie Music Productions, where he became a partner. His experience on both sides of the mic complements Mark’s integrative approach to the creative process. Mario’s vision is to make musical theatre an art form accessible to audiences of all demographics. Mario and Mark have been close friends since they met during their freshman year of college in NJ.

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We have to stop pointing our fingers at others and individually make changes to our lives to improve conditions in our home, Earth.

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MATTHEW HOWIE Will

Matt is a BFA MT graduate from Western Carolina University who has done roles such as Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, Christopher in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Edward in Sense and Sensibility, Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and from time to time the Grinch at Tryon Equestrian Center. 

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I have always been an environmentalist, from a very young age my father instilled in me the importance of recycling and giving back to the earth when we take away from it. The current wildfires raging in the west have destroyed so many lives and it's quite appalling that it's not something that's more talked about in today's media. I hope Water, Inc. will bring attention to just how dangerous and life-changing, no, world-changing the reckless, unchecked environmental damage from corporations in America and around the world has been.

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DAVII BRYANT Thora / Dot on the Spot

Davii (they/them) is new to North Carolina and is excited to be telling such an important story with this production! They were raised in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area where they discovered and nurtured their love for musicals and theater. Thanks to loving family and friends for guidance and love. A special  thank you to Royce for supporting my desire to be the theater geek I always was!

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I feel that climate change is something I have heard talked about for most of my lifetime. I grew up learning about the 3 Rs of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and doing community efforts with "The Big Help" on Nickelodeon... not thinking that our world would be worse off now. Climate change iss REAL. Our storms are getting stronger, our resources are getting smaller, and we are doing this to ourselves. It's not too late, and EVERYONE has a part to play.

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ANISAH JABAR Electra

Anisah is an actress, singer, and filmmaker with the ability to bring to life creative stories that attract broad audiences on television, social and film. She masters the capacity to move between in-field, on-camera, and behind-the-scenes fluidly in order to shape a seamless narrative. She's passionate about faith, global arts, comics, and culture. 

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There is power in meaningful storytelling and thought-provoking music. When I learned Mark and Chris were combining these forces to increase awareness of climate change, I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of this project. 

 

Water Inc. reminds me of the significant role we play to be the change we want to see in the world. The earth is beautiful and there are small steps we can take to preserve its beauty. Our choices in what we support and consume will have an impact on future generations. I hope this musical starts more conversations around the importance of caring about our planet.

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CAROLYN KUSKOVA Kara

Carolyn is not only a great student at school, but she is also a talented actor who trains her craft at DARA Studio of Acting in Denver, NC! www.daraacting.com Dara Studio is a new acting studio getting great recognition in the southeastern United States. Carolyn not only enjoys performing, but she also enjoys working out, hanging out with her friends and cheerleading. You may have seen Carolyn as Annie in her school production of Annie the Musical. Watch for this young actor as she begins her transition into television and film!

*****

Climate change is a global phenomenon that will affect current and future generations if not addressed immediately. This is something nobody can ignore. People should unite and rally around the goal of addressing climate change and its consequences as soon as possible and make sure our planet doesn't end up in a catastrophe.

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AMARI RICE Alberta

Amari has been singing since she could speak and has no intention of stopping. The arts became so crucial to her life when she needed it most; she has danced, sung, acted and then finally found the magic that is musical theatre. As a child, Amari's father always told her to find a career that didn't feellike a job, and she can confidently say that she fiinally understands. The happiness and the feeling of belonging is almost beyond words when she steps on a astage. Amari would like to thank her family and friends for always supporting her. She hopes as an audience, you enjoy her art and hopes to share it with you time and time again.

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Storytelling is important to her as in many points in her life it felt as if music, acting and dancing were the only ways for her to truly communicate. Which is why she knows how important the story of Water, In. is in bringing attention to climate change. People will listen when a show is pt in front of them, and it's the performers' job to grab their attention and tell them that something is wrong. Amari wants a world to share her art in, and knows if we don't change our ways there won't be one left.

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MICHAEL STROMAR Carl Geier

Coming to Charlotte from New York City to care for his elderly parents, Michael began singing with Opera Carolina, which became a tool for maintaining sanity. Michael made his OC debut in the roles of Fiorello and Ambrogio in Il barbiere di Siviglia. In OC's La Fanciulla del West, Michael "voiced the broken Jim Larken's longing to return home heartbreakingly, as poignant in its way as Mimi's and Cio-Cio San's deaths in La Boheme and Madama Butterfly." Michael is also privileged to perform with the Queens University Choral Union, where he played Dick Deadeye in the Gambrell Center's inaugural production of H.M.S. Pinafore. Some of Michael's favorite opera roles: Buchanan (Street Scene), Spoleta (Tosca - Dicapo Opera) , Don Basilio (The Marriage of Figaro - National Lyric Opera), Marquis de la Force (Dialogues of the Carmelites - Chatauqua) and Polidori (The Mary Shelley Opera - Allan Jafee, composer). In addition to opera, Michael is an accomplished musical theatre and cabaret performer in the USA and Europe. Featured roles include: Major General Stanley (Pirates of Penzance - The Little Opera Company of Charlotte), Nathan Detroit (Guys and Dolls), Melvyn P. Thorpe (The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas), Mysterious Man (Into the Woods - Fire Island Pines Arts Project). Michaels cabaret experience was highlighted by starring in two productions in the Monte Carlo Casino Cabaret.

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I share in the belief of helping make this a better world through story, and am honored to be a part of Water, Inc., bringing these characters to life and delineating the dire water crisis affecting our (and other) countries. 

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MADELINE YARA Demi

A recent grad from uNC Chapel Hill in Polymer Chemistry and Music, Madeline has just returned to the Charlotte Theatre scene. Most recently she was in Queen City Concerts' Titanic as Hitchens and she is currently in rehearsal for Scrooge at Matthews Playhouse playing Mrs. Fezziwig. Back in Chapel Hill she was part of the Tarpeggios (a mixed voice a capella group), music directed Fun Home with Company Carolina and performed int he Charanga Carolina Ensemble as their lead vocalist. In her free time she enjoys writing music, both solo and with her rock band Ten Til Two!

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My role in Water, Inc. really hits home for me. I have lots of family in the southwest facing more and more fires each year due to climate change and the severe drought they face. I believe creating art that highlights these disasters is one of the best ways to bring attention and promote action against them.

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