RENT

By Jonathan Larson

Directed by Jim Tropp

Bower City Theatre Company will present Jonathan Larson's Tony and Pulitzer-prize winning Broadway musical based loosely on Puccini's opera La Boehme. The story follows a year in the lives of seven friends living the disappearing Bohemian lifestyle in New York's East Village. AIDS and both its physical and emotional complications 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; Benjamin has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends; and Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general, always behind the camera recording the events but never playing a part. Rent is the 8th longest running show in Broadway history. The show has also toured the U.S. and been performed on five continents. Knowing that Jonathan Larson is not here to enjoy this incredible success serves as a constant, poignant reminder of the show's message to live your life to the fullest, for there is "no day but today.

Produced by Bower City Theatre Company at Janesville Performing Arts Center, 408 South Main Street, Janesville

Performances: January 28 - February 5, 2011

Performance Times: Performance Dates January 28 & 29 and February 4 & 5 2011 at 7:30pm.

Ticket Prices: $15 Students $22 Adults

Tickets available at the JPAC Box Office or by phone 608.758.0297.

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Auditions

Auditions will be held on the following days:

9/19/2010
9/20/2010

Auditions will be held at the Janesville Performing Arts Center, 408 S. Main St. Janesville, WI 53545.

Sunday, September 19th at 12:00pm and Monday, September 20th at 6:00 pm.

Due to the adult content of RENT. Auditions are open to anyone 16 years and older. Those auditioning should arrive on time and come prepared to sing a song from the show or sing a song of a similar musical style of their own choosing that shows of their vocal range. Dress comfortably for a brief dance/movement audition.

The Directors encourages all those auditioning to please watch the DVD movie RENT. The live stage version of RENT is also available on DVD at many retail outlets. This will be a whole new staging of this show with strong emphasis on the characters within this wonderful life changing story.
This is a full (un- edited) community theatre production of Rent.

Performance Dates January 28 & 29 and February 4 & 5 2011. Rehearsals begin October 31, 2010

For information please email info@bowercitytheatre.org.



Character Descriptions RENT

Roger Davis, Baritone/Tenor with a strong rock belting voice. A struggling musician who's HIV+. Roger hopes to write one last meaningful song before he dies. He is struggling with the loss of his girlfriend from suicide after she found out she had given him AIDS.

Mark Cohen, Baritone/High Tenor with a strong rock voice. Filmmaker and video artist, and Roger's roommate. He casually narrates the entire show. He is a sensitive loner who would rather document life than live it.

Tom Collins, Baritone/Tenor with a gospel/soul belting voice. An HIV+ computer genius who's back in New York after being away. Ex-roommate and best friend of both Mark and Roger. He falls in love with Angel.

Benjamin Coffin III, Low Baritone voice. Landlord of Mark and Roger's building. Benny wants to start a multimedia studio across the street from Mark and Roger’s building. He is considered a corporate yuppie sell-out by his ex roommates.

Joanne Jefferson, Alto/Mezzo-Soprano with a belting voice. An Ivy League-educated public interest lawyer and Maureen's lover. Joanne is the woman for whom Maureen left mark.

Angel Schunard, High Tenor. A Strong actor is required for this role. Angel is a street drummer also infected with HIV. He is the central plot line of the entire show. He is a gay man who loves to wear dresses and outfits that he makes from recycled materials. He is named Angel for a reason. He is the giver of abounding LOVE amongst this group of friends. He is Tom Collins’ boyfriend.

Mimi Marquez, Mezzo-Soprano with a strong, rough belting voice. A night-club dancer with a drug problem who has AIDS. She is very flirtatious and wears her heart on her sleeve. She falls head over heels in love with Roger. She lives in the same building as Mark and Roger.

Maureen Johnson, Mezzo-Soprano with a Diva attitude and a voice to match. She is a very passionate and entertaining performance artist and Mark's ex-girlfriend. She has a lot of attitude and cheats on both Mark and her current girlfriend Joanne.

Ensemble, Mark's mom, Roger's mom, Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson, Mr. Grey, Alexi Darling, Steve, Paul, a Christmas caroler, a woman with bags, a pastor, man with squeegee, 3 cops, a waiter, and others. Those cast in the Ensemble will also be included in the big musical numbers such as: Seasons of love, La Vie Boehme, Life Support, and the finales A and B.