"Rent" Musical Needs Singer/Actors

Vocal Range: Tenor (C#3-G4) Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, documents his friends' lives through his camera lens, always by his side. Roger's best friend and former flame of Maureen (who chose Joanne), Mark has a nerdy, quirky charm. He believes his art shields him from his grim reality, yet he struggles to fully engage. Mark's guilt over not having HIV/AIDS like his friends is evident. This role demands a strong singer and actor, with Tango dance ability for his duet with Joanne.

Vocal Range: Rock Tenor (B2-A4) 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. The actor playing this role must be a good actor and an excellent singer with a rock edge. Guitar skills are desired but are not required.

Vocal Range: Alto (F#3-E5) 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. The actress playing this role must be a strong singer, dancer, and exceptional actress. She must be able to convincingly portray the struggles of heroin addiction, sexual promiscuity, and HIV/AIDS, while still maintaining the optimism of youth.

Vocal Range: Tenor (Eb3-F4) 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. He also had an affair with Mimi before she started to date Roger. The actor playing this role must be a good singer and actor.

Vocal Range: Soprano Belt (C4-F5) 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. The actress playing this role must be an excellent singer and actress. She must be comfortable with same-sex physical intimacy and mooning.

Vocal Range: Soprano Belt (Bb3-E5) 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. The actress playing this role must be an excellent singer and a good actress. She must be comfortable with same sex-physical intimacy. Since she dances the tango with Mark, good movement skills are also required.

Vocal Range: Baritone/Tenor (F#2 – A4) One A4 for a short duration. Tom Collins is a gay computer genius, teacher, and anarchist who was recently expelled from MIT. In the opening scene he is mugged, reflecting on 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 are infected with HIV/AIDS, their relationship will not have much of a future.

Vocal Range: Tenor with Falsetto (C3-A4) Angel is a young drag queen and street percussionist. He meets and falls in love with Collins. He has HIV/ AIDS and dies of the disease in Act II. As a person, Angel is the most generous and selfless character in the show. The actor playing this role must be an excellent actor, singer, and mover. He must be able to comfortable with same-sex physical intimacy and a drag queen persona, including dancing in heels.

There are homeless street men and women who appear throughout the show sarcastically singing Christmas carols. Ensemble.

Mark's stereotypical Jewish mother. Her voicemail messages are the basis for the songs. Voicemail #1, Voicemail #3, and Voicemail #5. Ensemble.

The producer of Buzzline who tries to employ Mark after his footage of the riot makes primetime. Sings Voicemail #3 and Voicemail #4. Ensemble.

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. Ensemble.

Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson: The wealthy parents of Joanne Jefferson, they leave her Voicemail #2. Mrs. Jefferson usually sings the female solo in Seasons of Love. Ensemble.

Roger's confused mother who calls in Voicemail #5, asking continuously, "Roger, where are you?" Ensemble.

Mimi's Spanish‐speaking mother who sings in Voicemail #5, wondering, in Spanish, where she is. Ensemble.

Benny's father-in‐law who wants to buy out the lot. Ensemble.

The local drug dealer whom Mimi buys from and Roger used to buy from. Ensemble.

A homeless person who chants "Honest living!" over and over. Ensemble.

She gets harassed by police and Mark films it. She first yells at Mark but then asks him for a dollar. Ensemble.

Waits on the cast and has solo lines in La Vie Boehme. Ensemble.

Ensemble. Looking for a very diverse cast of all shapes, and sizes.

Ensemble. Looking for a very diverse cast of all shapes, and sizes.

Ensemble. Looking for a very diverse cast of all shapes, and sizes.

Ensemble. Looking for a very diverse cast of all shapes, and sizes.

Ensemble. Looking for a very diverse cast of all shapes, and sizes.

Ensemble. Looking for a very diverse cast of all shapes, and sizes.

Ensemble. Looking for a very diverse cast of all shapes, and sizes.