Possibilities Theatre Company announces auditions for their upcoming musical production of RENT by Jonathan Larson.
Possibilities Theatre Company aims to amplify voices that have historically been silenced by giving people a stage on which to tell their stories authentically. We are a community of artists who take risks and act with love.
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. We are excited to explore this show through the lens of social justice and the importance of human connection-- just in time for the show's 25th anniversary!
RENT auditions will be held May 24th and 25th from 6-10 PM, with callbacks May 26th and 27th from 6 -11 PM (broken into groups). Auditions and callbacks will be held live, in-person on Chicago's northside, abiding by all CDC coronavirus guidelines.
This production will rehearse and perform live, outside. There may be occasional indoor rehearsals in the event of rain, dependent on cast comfortability. There will be a cast of 16 people, and 5 production team members. Every person on the RENT team will be required to social distance while rehearsing (and during most of performance), and wear masks when not singing. There will be ample cleaning products, hand sanitizer, and spare masks. We take COVID very seriously, and the health and safety of all production team, cast, and audience members is our #1 priority. There will be more information to follow regarding our COVID safety protocols as we enter our audition process, please stay tuned.
All roles are currently available. RENT will have a talented ensemble of performers of varying sizes, abilities, gender-expressions and identities, and racial and ethnic-identities. We strongly welcome actors of all identities and experiences to audition for the role they gravitate towards. One of the beautiful things about this musical is that it paints a picture of the diverse population of New York, with that, we are looking to build a cast that is realistic, and shows the beauty of being human.
Role descriptions:
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.
Vocal range top: A4
Vocal range bottom: F2
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. She becomes Tom's lover. NOTE: We are looking for a transwoman of color to play this role.
Vocal range top: A4
Vocal range bottom: C3
Mimi Marquez: An HIV-positive stripper with drug addictions. Sickly, she conceals it all at her job in the local strip club. She lives in the same building as the loft. NOTE: We are looking for a latinx actor for this role.
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.
Vocal range top: F5
Vocal range bottom: C4
Ensemble: The ensemble will make up the wide array of people in New York, including (but not limited to): homeless people, parents, people struggling with addiction, people living with AIDS, police officers, and business professionals.
Possibilities Theatre Company is committed to abiding by the Not in Our House and We See You W.A.T. theatre standards.
Music rehearsals will begin the week of June 7th, with blocking rehearsals beginning the week of June 28th. Tech week will be July 31st - August 4th. Actors will be called for between 3-5 rehearsals a week. Performances will be Thursdays-Saturdays at 7 PM, August 5th-21st, with tentative rain dates on August 27th and 28th.
For auditions, please prepare a 32-bar cut that shows us highlights that represents your authentic self. We want to see a piece that speaks to you-- show us what makes you YOU! Ideally, this piece is in-style of RENT or a rock song, but if there's something you feel really represents you, and it isn't in-style of the show, that's okay too! There will be an accompanist, and a Bluetooth speaker if you want to bring your own track. The music director may ask you to sing a few scales if they need to hear more. Please also have a 1-minute monologue prepared, in case we ask to see more.
Contact Info:
Please fill out this form to schedule your audition, and we'll email you with a time in the next week or so: forms.gle/zURHD7A6pEMJFPej8
For questions or comments, please email possibilitiestheatrecompany@gmail.com. We look forward to getting to know you!
Website: forms.gle/zURHD7A6pEMJFPej8