RENT to Play Holiday Engagement in San Diego!

The Award-winning California Youth Conservatory Theatre (CYC), well known for staging some of San Diego's most ambitious and successful youth theatre productions ever, will open a special holiday engagement of the brilliant and controversial hit musical RENT. Inspired by Puccini's La Bohemme, the modern-day rock opera tells the story of a collection of struggling artists and musicians trying to survive and practice their craft in the avant-garde neighborhood of New York's Lower East Side. This incredible production is being directed by CYC Artistic Director and long-time professional actor, Shaun T. Evans. Evans will also star in the show as "Collins."

Set against the backdrop of the 1990's AIDS crisis and laden with strong language, the provocative story confronts mature situations such as homelessness, drug addiction, illness and homosexuality. In recent years, some high schools and youth theatre groups have staged the edited "School Edition" of the Pulitzer Prize winning musical, but seldom the full-score, unedited version of the show. A number of high schools throughout America have even banned the production altogether. In 2009, Shaun T. Evans directed the world's first-ever youth theatre production of this show with this same company. This year's production will feature several professional performers, including recording artist Bonni Dance, Jason Marks (TV's "Let's Make A Deal") and Shaun T. Evans himself. Joshua Pinkowski, the award-winning young actor who played the lead character "Mark" in the 2009 production, is back from London to reprise his role in this current production.

"Art imitates life," said Shaun Evans, founder and Artistic Director of CYC's innovative programming. "Young people are just as affected by poverty, issues of sexual/gender identity and HIV as adults. In fact, the number of new cases of HIV among teens is worse than ever. So RENT and its issues are relevant and appropriate for young people in the real world."

The Story

The critically acclaimed, Tony Award winning musical was written by Jonathan Larson and became a huge hit in the 1990s and one of Broadway's longest running shows.
The musical enjoyed immediate popularity with the MTV generation, fueled in part by its hard driving rock score, catchy melodies, complex harmonies and treatment of real life in the shadow of AIDS. The story traces the journey of a group of friends who are drawn together one Christmas Eve in a special way. Over the next year, the story follows them as their relationships grow and change and as they struggle with paying the rent, battling eviction, death and drugs while living in the moment. In all, it is a hopeful, uplifting tale of love transcending tragedy and the raw spirit of creativity and art.

Standouts from the award-winning score include: "Seasons of Love," "I Should Tell You", "I'll Cover You", "Take Me or Leave Me" and "Santa Fe". The melodies lift and move audiences and echo meaningful messages about how precious life and love are for everyone.

The Cast
CYC's impressive RENT cast includes:

• ? Eric Von Metzge, as "Roger", the HIV-positive musician who is recovering from drug addiction.

• ? Shaun T. Evans, the award-winning actor/director and San Diego stand-out as "Collins."

• ? Josh Pinkowski, the award-winning actor recently graduated from the prestigious London

  Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts as "Mark", the film-maker and the play's narrator.

• ? Recording artist Bonni Dance, who San Diego audiences will remember from Shrek, Big

  River and Ragtime.

• ? Tony Jongco as "Angel"

  Mark: Josh Pinkowski
  Roger: Eric Von Metzge
  Angel: Anthony Jongco
  Collins: Shaun T. Evans*
  Mimi: Ciarra Stroud
  Maureen: Ruby Ross/Madison Hannsmeyer Joanne: Meghan McKenzie/Tiffany Polite Benny: Collin Seaman/Federico Mostert Mr. Jefferson: Nate Ferguson

  Lexi Darling: Dacia Bond/Nikki Castillo Paul: Yonatan Vaizman
  Waiter/Squeegee Bum: Nick Lux Seasons Soloist/Bag Lady: Bonni Dance*

  *Appears courtesy of Actor's Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

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