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RENT Celebrates Ten Years on Broadway with New Podcast

In celebration of the tenth anniversary of the hit Broadway musical Rent, fans will have an opportunity to experience the cultural and theatrical hit with the help of the hottest technology around. RENT: The Podcast will launch on iTunes on Tuesday, March 21, 2006, with a new podcast interview available each Monday. In this podcast (or online audio interviews) original cast members, producers, staff, fans, and family members of the show's creator, Jonathan Larson, will reminisce about the project's long and heartbreaking journey from the mind of a creative genius to the force that helped redefine theater.

RENT: The Podcast will feature never-before-heard anecdotes, off-stage dramas, and private memories from the people who experienced it firsthand. They will remember the life of Larson and offer insights into the work that only time can reveal. Original cast members, including Jesse L. Martin, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp (who is featured in the inaugural interview), and Daphne Rubin-Vega, reflect on the impact Rent had on the American cultural landscape and reveal the intimate, emotional impact the material has had on their lives. "American Idol" contestant Frenchie Davis and other members of the current Broadway cast also offer stories and backstage anecdotes.

In separate podcast interviews, fans will also get the behind-the-scenes perspective from the creative and producing forces who guided the project from off-Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop to the bright lights of Broadway. The movers and shakers behind the scenes detail the path the show has taken over the last decade and the strategies used to market the show, and reflect on the impact Rent will ultimately have on the history of Broadway. Rent's rabid fans, the Rent-heads, who are also featured in an interview will take us into the community of followers who have forged deep and intimate friendships based on their mutual love of the landmark musical.

RENT: The Podcast interviews were conducted by Cara David, senior newswriter for Broadway.com; Rob Kahn, theater writer for Newsday; and Danielle Monaro, co-host of Z100's "Elvis Duran and the Z Morning Zoo."

DESCRIPTION OF A PODCAST

Podcasts allow broadcasts available through the internet to be downloaded from websites to computers, iPods, or other personal audio players. They are particularly popular for television series, reality shows, long form feature segments, and celebrity interview formats. Users can log into the Rent website, SiteForRent.com, and click on the podcast icon on the main page or go to the iTunes Music Store's Podcast Directory and search for RENT: The Podcast.

Rent, written by Jonathan Larson and directed by Michael Greif, opened at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre, on April 29, 1996 following a history making, sold out, extended limited engagement at off-Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop. The musical went on to win every major best musical award, including the Tony Award, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for drama. Recently Rent became the seventh longest running show in Broadway history, surpassing Miss Saigon.

Rent plays at the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues) Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm & 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm & 7pm. Tickets, priced $45-$95, can be purchased by calling TicketMaster at (212) 307-4100. A limited number of $20 tickets are available day of performance at the box office.