LAKE WORTH PLAYHOUSE (Executive Director, Stephanie Smith; Artistic Director, Daniel Eilola) announces auditions for the upcoming production of Rent.
AUDITION DATES: August 9 & 10, 2023 at 7 pm (no appointment necessary - this is an open call. Possible Callbacks August 11 at 7 pm)
WHERE: The Lake Worth Playhouse - 713 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach, Florida 33460
WHAT TO PREPARE: Please prepare 32 bars of a song in the style of the show that displays your vocal range. Please bring appropriate dancewear as some actors may be put through a basic dance audition. Actors may also be asked to read from the script.
ABOUT THE SHOW: In the late 1980s and early 1990s, friends in Manhattan’s East Village struggle to build the lives of their dreams. Pennilessness, drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, social tension, and political unrest, among other hardships, challenge the group physically and emotionally. Facing the problems head-on, they make personal self-discoveries and find what really matters most in life.
AVAILABLE ROLES:
Mark Cohen (Vocal Range: Tenor C#3-G4, Early to Late 20s): Mark is an aspiring filmmaker who narrates the show as he films the lives of his friends. Mark never leaves home without a camera. He is Roger's best friend and caregiver, and he was once Maureen’s boyfriend (who left him for Joanne). Mark is a little nerdy and quirky. He insists that he can survive the bleakness of his environment through his art. It soon becomes apparent, though, that he is more comfortable viewing the world through his lens than in actively engaging in it.
Roger Davis (Vocal Range: Rock Tenor B2-A4, Mid 20s to Early 30s): Roger is a once successful, now struggling musician who discovered he had HIV/AIDS in a note his girlfriend left him before she took her own life. His main goal in life is to write one great song before he dies, but he has not been able to play his guitar in a year, fearing that he has lost his creative energy.
Mimi Marquez (Vocal range: Alto F#3-E5, Late Teens to Early 20s): Mimi Marquez works in a strip club and struggles with her addiction to heroin, which has resulted in her contraction of HIV/AIDS. She falls in love with Roger, who is unable to commit to a relationship with her. She is also Benny's ex?girlfriend. She is extremely sexy, optimistic, and likeable but with dark secrets. Though Mimi has” lived a lot of life,” she still sees the world through the eyes of a young woman.
Benny Coffin III (Vocal Range: Tenor Eb3-F4, 20s to 30s): Benny used to be Mark and Roger’s roommate, but he married Alison Grey, a rich family involved with real estate, and he is now their landlord. He had been letting Roger and Mark live in the apartment for free, but he is now forcing them to pay rent or be evicted. Roger and Mark consider him a yuppie sell-out.
Maureen Johnson (Vocal Range: Soprano Belt C4-F5, 20s to 30s): Maureen is a bisexual performing artist and Mark's ex?girlfriend. She left Mark to be with her new girlfriend, Joanne. She is sexy, flirtatious, sassy, and funny. She is bold and speaks her mind, and she is not afraid to take on the establishment and fight for what she believes in.
Joanne Jefferson (Vocal Range: Soprano Belt Bb3-E5, Mid 20s to Early 30s): Joanne is a lesbian Ivy League-educated lawyer and activist. She struggles to not be jealous of Maureen’s flirtatious nature with others. Though she was raised in an affluent, political family, she is committed to helping those less fortunate.
Tom Collins (Vocal Range: Baritone/Tenor F#2-A4, Late 20s to Late 30s): Tom Collins is a gay computer genius, teacher, and anarchist who was recently expelled from MIT. In the opening scene, he is mugged, reflecting the harsh reality of the world in which the characters live. He is brave enough to allow himself to fall in love with Angel, knowing that since both of them are infected with HIV/AIDS, their relationship will not have much of a future.
Angel Schunard (Vocal Range: Tenor with Falsetto C3-A4, Early to Late 20s): Angel is a young drag queen and street percussionist. They meet and fall in love with Collins. They have HIV/ AIDS and dies of the disease in Act II. As a person, Angel is the most generous and selfless character in the show. Though they have HIV/AIDS, they embrace life and live it to its fullest. People are naturally drawn to them, and their smile lights up the room.
Other Characters (many double in other scenes):
Stage Ages: Early 20s to 60s
Vocal Ranges: all vocal ranges sought
Carolers: There are homeless street men and women who appear throughout the show sarcastically singing Christmas carols.
Mrs. Cohen: Mark's stereotypical Jewish mother. Her voicemail messages are the basis for the songs Voicemail #1, Voicemail #3, and Voicemail #5.
Alexi Darling: The producer of Buzzline who tries to employ Mark after his footage of the riot makes primetime. Sings Voicemail #3 and Voicemail #4.
Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson: The wealthy parents of Joanne Jefferson, they leave her Voicemail #2. Mr. Jefferson is also one of the a cappella singers in Voicemail #5. Mrs. Jefferson usually sings the female solo in Seasons of Love.
Mrs. Davis: Roger's confused mother who calls in Voicemail #5, asking continuously, Roger, where are you?
Mrs. Marquez: Mimi's Spanish?speaking mother who sings in Voicemail #5, wondering, in Spanish, where she is.
Mr. Grey: Benny's father-in?law who wants to buy out the lot.
The Man: The local drug dealer whom Mimi buys from and Roger used to buy from.
Life Support Group: Paul (The man in charge of the Life Support group), Gordon, Steve, Ali, Pam, and Sue as notated in the script by Larson, the roles of all of the Life Support members are encouraged to take on the name that someone in the cast (or production) knows or has known to have succumbed to AIDS or other disease.
Squeegee Man: A homeless person who chants Honest living! over and over.
Homeless Woman: She gets harassed by police and Mark films it. She first yells at Mark but then asks him for a dollar.
Waiter: Waits on the cast and has solo lines in La Vie Boehme.
There are also many other non?named roles such as the Preacher, Seasons of Love soloists, Cops, Bohemians, Vendors, and Homeless People. We would welcome a very diverse cast of ethnicities, shapes, and sizes.
For questions or to request further information contact Artistic Director Daniel Eilola at
daniel@lakeworthplayhouse.org
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
RENT
October 6 - 22, 2023
The Main Stage at Lake Worth Playhouse
713 Lake Avenue, Lake Worth Beach, FL
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
Presented through Special Arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI)
Directed by Christina Rodriguez de Conte
Music Director: Ryan Crout
Choreographer: Jamie Mattocks
Executive Director: Stephanie Smith
Artistic Director: Daniel Eilola
Technical Director: James R. Cartee
Tickets: (Individual) Go on sale August 12th -
Season Subscriptions are available now
Purchase: 561-586-6410 or
www.lakeworthplayhouse.org
Contact
Daniel Eilola
daniel@lakeworthplayhouse.org
Katherine Lamb
katherine@lakeworthplayhouse.org
The Lake Worth Playhouse encourages people of all races, abilities, and genders to audition for the roles they most identify with. The Lake Worth Playhouse strives to make all of our staff and volunteers feel valued, appreciated, and free to be who they are at work regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes them unique. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or if there are any accommodations we can provide.
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