Senior Josh Posen is an amazingly calm man.
Posen, chair of Duke University Union's Broadway at Duke, is currently preparing for one of his committee's largest shows ever, a special one-day production of Cats, while fighting to define a role for his committee on campus.
The musical, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, will be performed Oct. 17 in Page Auditorium. Until last year, Cats was the longest-running Broadway play in history, and is one of the largest productions to come to the University. Posen said he is very optimistic about the performance. He chose Cats as Broadway at Duke's first show of the year when the producers of the musical approached him with an offer.
"The fact that a show like Cats was willing to come to Duke for one day is almost unheard of," he said. "The decision to bring Cats was instantaneous. We want to bring the shows to campus that students are going to recognize and be attracted to."
Although he is optimistic about Cats, Posen said that he acknowledges that in recent years Broadway at Duke has gone through some hard times.
"Last year and the year before we had some issues, which were mainly due to our advisor of 20-plus years retiring," he said. "But that is a very limited trend that we faced. This year we're bringing the top quality tours so that people who attend will not be disappointed. What people don't know is that there is a large population of students who want to see our shows."
Posen said that Cats is the perfect show to bring to the University because of its name recognition.
"Cats has a larger-than-life quality," he said. "It was built up as the original mega-musical, and it brings to the stage what no other show of our time has been able to bring."
But despite Posen's high hopes, Duke Student Government President Elliott Wolf, a junior, said he will be examining the role Broadway at Duke plays in students' lives. Although he said the decision ultimately rests with the Union, he will explore other options for reallocating the committee's funding.
"I would say I'm opposed to spending upwards of $80,000 for [their shows]," Wolf said. "I'm not opposed to having Broadway productions at Duke, but I'm opposed to throwing that much money in it."
Wolf said that he has students' interests in mind when approaching the subject. Students generally do not attend Broadway at Duke shows, he said, adding that they are more likely to attend appearances by major speakers and concerts on Main West Quadrangle. Posen, however, is adamant about the necessity of Broadway at Duke.
"Cats has been wildly successful in terms of ticket sales," he said. "This might be a unique case, but then Rent also belongs to that case and so does Saturday Night Fever. Actually, all of the shows that have played in the past three years do, too."
Despite having only 38 student subscribers this season, Cats is already at 90 percent capacity. Posen said that allegations that Broadway at Duke is not popular with students are unfounded.
"We've had a very positive response to the shows as long as I've been here," he said. "This is the real deal."
Wolf also said that the money currently allocated to Broadway at Duke could be spent on other events, such as Last Day of Classes. He said there are other groups on campus that fulfill the need for musical theater programming.
"That's why Duke Performances exists and is funded by the University," Wolf said.
Posen said he believes that most students might choose other programming over Broadway productions.
"Broadway is not for everybody," he said. "However, if you get into a live performance, there is nothing else like it. If the option is to go and see a movie or see Cats, I think most people would choose the movie, and that's fine. However, you can get so much more out of a live stage show."
Posen added that although he understands and sympathizes with the positions of people like Wolf, he will continue to program for the committee with which he is so intimately involved.
"Broadway is absolutely necessary," he said. "It is an expression of something. Cats is an expression of energy. It is a channeling of energy onto the stage in a two-hour production. I think that theater is essential as an outlet to that sort of self-expression."
Rob Copeland contributed to this story.
Cats appears at Page Auditorium Oct. 17 at 7:30. Tickets are $15 to $25 for students, $35 to $55 for others. For more information, see tickets.duke.edu.
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