Director - Liz Muller
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The creative team welcomes actors from ages 14 (going into Freshman year of high school) to 23 to audition for Center Stage’s Youth CONNection. However, please know, RENT is the full show version and deals with extremely mature content. Only those over 17 years old will be cast in major lead roles. Supporting leads and chorus are open to all of the included ages.
Based loosely on Puccini's La Boheme, Jonathan Larson's Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.
PRE-AUDITION RENT Q&A
May 8 from 7-8 pm
A great time to meet the director and ask questions about the process.
AUDITION DATES
May 15, 16, and 17 from 6 – 9:30 pm
Please prepare a verse and chorus from a pop musical. You may sing from RENT. There will be a pianist. You may also sing with a track or a cappella.
CALLBACKS
May 18 from 10 am – 2 pm
You will receive an email letting you know if you’ve been called back or not.
CAST POSTING
Cast will be posted last week of May.
REHEARSALS
Rehearsals will be held Monday through Sunday June 8 through July 6 from 6 – 9:30 pm on weekdays and 10 am – 2 pm weekends. All rehearsals are scheduled based on actor availability. If cast, you will not have rehearsal every single day even though the RENT is rehearsing. The creative team diligently tries to schedule each actor no more than four days a week. There may be exceptions.
TECH WEEK
Tech week is mandatory.
July 6 and 7 are from 10 am - 6 pm.
July 8 through July 11 are from 6 pm – 10 pm
SHOWS
July 12 at 7:30 pm
July 13 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm
July 14 at 2 pm
July 18 at 7:30 pm
July 19 at 7:30 pm
July 20 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm
July 21 at 2 pm
July 25 at 7:30 pm
July 26 at 7:30 pm
July 27 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm
July 28 at 2 pm
Character Breakdown
Roger Davis
A struggling musician and former drug addict. He is reminiscent of Kurt Cobain. Roommates with Mark in the loft and battles with being HIV-positive.
Gender: Male Presenting
Age: 20 to 25
Vocal range top: A4
Vocal range bottom: F2
Guitar Skills a bonus!
Mark Cohen
Filmmaker and video artist. Knee deep in his own soul-searching, Mark is the typical young artist. He and Roger are roommates in the loft. A bit of a nerd.
Gender: Male Presenting
Age: 20 to 30
Vocal range top: G4
Vocal range bottom: A2
Tom Collins
A computer genius and liberal professor. He is a nurturer with a smooth and relaxed disposition. Used to be a roommate in the loft and is HIV-positive.
Gender: Male Presenting
Age: 25 to 35
Vocal range top: A4
Vocal range bottom: F#2
Benjamin Coffin III
The landlord of Mark and Roger's apartment building. A former roommate in the loft, Benny traded in his personal morals for power and wealth.
Gender: Male Presenting
Age: 25 to 35
Vocal range top: F#4
Vocal range bottom: Bb2
Joanne Jefferson
A public interest lawyer and headstrong lesbian. She is smart and purposeful in all her decisions. Carries on a tumultuous relationship with Maureen.
Gender: Female Presenting
Age: 25 to 40
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: G3
Angel Dumott Schunard
The eccentric HIV-positive street drummer. A drag queen with an incredible gift of dance and a magnetic personality. He becomes Tom's lover.
Gender: Male Presenting
Age: 20 to 30
Vocal range top: A4
Vocal range bottom: C3
Mimi Marquez
An HIV-positive stripper with drug addictions. Slender and sickly, she conceals it all at her job in the local strip club. She lives in the same building as the loft.
Gender: Female Presenting
Age: 18 to 21
Vocal range top: E5
Vocal range bottom: Eb3
Maureen Johnson
An unpredictably zany performance artist. Maureen oozes sexuality and used to live in the loft. She has recently dumped Mark for Joanne.
Gender: Female Presenting
Age: 20 to 25
Vocal range top: F5
Vocal range bottom: C4
Ensemble
Homeless Men & Women; Junkies, Parents (Mrs. Cohen, Mr. & Mrs. Jefferson); Support Group (Steve, Gordon)
*Please contact Liz at lizmullerdirects@gmail.com with any questions or for other audition options.