"RENT - The Musical": Cast Auditions for Minneapolis Community Education Summer Musical

Thank you for your interest in auditioning for the cast of Minneapolis Community Education's production of RENT - The Musical! Audition spots are limited. Please do not sign up for multiple slots. If all auditions slots are full, please register for the virtual auditions. We will be seeing a limited number of walk-ins as time allows on scheduled dates and will send out a reminder of that to anyone in the virtual audition list. If you have questions, email lifelong.learning@mpls.k12.mn.us. 

Please prepare an unaccompanied 30 seconds of a pop, rock, or contemporary musical theatre song that showcases your range and storytelling ability. You may sing from the show if you would like. If you play guitar, we encourage you to accompany yourself. You may sing your audition a capella or to a track (we will have a bluetooth speaker at auditions but you will need to bring your own track on your phone). There will be no dance call or monologue portion of the initial audition as RENT is almost fully sung through and our staging will be movement heavy but not particularly dance heavy.

We anticipate casting 8 principal roles, 8 featured ensemble, and up to 25 additional ensemble members. Adults of all ages and youth entering 11th grade or older are welcome to audition. Please note it is our goal to cast a diverse cast of all ages and abilities. Register for your preferred audition date and 1-hour block of time. 

We are accepting virtual submissions for this production. We view all auditions, in person or virtual, with the same care and consideration and have historically cast many actors from virtual auditions.

To submit virtually, sign up for that "course" and our production manager will reach out to you in April. At that time, you will email a headshot (doesn’t have to be professional, just a good photo of your face), audition form, resume (optional), and video of your audition (including your slate) by 5pm on Sunday, April 12. We realize this deadline is earlier than what was originally posted, so please call 612-668-3100 out if this presents a barrier.

Callbacks will be Saturday, April 18 from 10am-1:30pm at Southwest. We will have virtual callback options as well.

Rehearsals begin May 18 at Southwest High School and will shift to South High School mid-June. Performances July 10-19 at South High School. More info at ce.mpschools.org/adults/summer-musical. Auditions are free. If cast in the show, a participation fee will be collected. Scholarships are available. 

Please see the below information of the main roles being cast:

• Mark Cohen
  • Narrator. Filmmaker and video artist. An ally in many ways, an adversary in some.
  • White or white passing
  • Vocal Range: A2-G4
• Roger Davis
  • A struggling musician and recovering addict. Roommates with Mark in the loft. HIV positive.
  • Any ethnicity
  • Vocal Range: F2-A4
  • Role requires stage intimacy and guitar proficiency

• Tom Collins
  • A computer genius and liberal professor. Used to be a roommate in the loft. HIV positive.
  • BIPOC
  • Vocal Range: F#2-A4
  • Role requires stage combat and stage intimacy

• Benjamin Coffin III
  • The landlord of Mark and Roger's apartment building. A former roommate in the loft, current sellout.
  • Black
  • Vocal Range: Bb2-F#4

• Angel Dumott Schunard
  • A drag queen and street drummer. HIV positive.
  • Any ethnicity
  • Vocal Range: C3-A4
  • Role requires stage intimacy

• Maureen Johnson
  • A performance artist. A former roommate in the loft. Mark’s ex.
  • White or white passing
  • Vocal range: C4-F5
  • Role requires stage intimacy

• Joanne Jefferson
  • Public interest lawyer. Comes from wealth. Maureen’s new girlfriend.
  • BIPOC
  • Vocal Range: G3-E5
  • Role requires stage intimacy

• Mimi Marquez
  • A stripper and addict. She lives in the same building as the loft. HIV positive.
  • BIPOC
  • Vocal range: Eb3-E5

• Ensemble
  • Ensemble tracks will be determined once casting is complete.

Rent is a rock musical with music, lyrics, and book by Jonathan Larson. Loosely based on the 1896 opera La bohème by Giacomo Puccini, Luigi Illica, and Giuseppe Giacosa, it tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in Lower Manhattan's East Village, in the thriving days of the bohemian culture of Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.

On Broadway, Rent gained critical acclaim and won several awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Musical. The Broadway production closed on September 7, 2008, after 12 years, making it one of the longest-running shows on Broadway. The success of the show led to several national tours and numerous foreign productions. In 2005, it was adapted into a motion picture featuring six of the eight principal cast members from the 1996 stage premiere including Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp, Rosario Dawson and Taye Diggs.