Announcing the cast of RENT

ROLE / Actor

ENSEMBLE: Chris Fernandez, Juliet Green, Cleopatra Howell; Syeda Huq, Luna Lau, Steven McCloud, Jamari McGee, Lucy Nino, Rachel Rivera, and Victor Velasquez.

We thank all who auditioned for this production, and were especially pleased to see so many new faces. More than half of the cast will be making their SBMT mainstage debut!

More about the show

Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Jonathan Larson’s Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an
outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.

About the roles (who’s who)

ROGER DAVIS: (20 to 25; Male; F2-A4)
A struggling musician and former drug addict. He is reminiscent of Kurt Cobain. Roommates with Mark in the loft and battles with being HIV-positive.

MIMI MARQUEZ: (18 to 21; Female; Eb3 – E5)
An HIV-positive stripper with drug addictions. Slender and sickly, she conceals it all at her job in the local strip club. She lives in the same building as the loft.

MARK COHEN: (20 to 30; Male; A2-G4)
Filmmaker and video artist. Knee deep in his own soul-searching, Mark is the typical young artist. He and Roger are roommates in the loft. A bit of a nerd.

MAUREEN JOHNSON: (20 to 25; Female; C4-F5)
An unpredictably zany performance artist. Maureen oozes sexuality and used to live in the loft. She has recently dumped Mark for Joanne.

TOM COLLINS: (25 to 35; Male; F#2-A4)
A computer genius and liberal professor. He is a nurturer with a smooth and relaxed disposition. Used to be a roommate in the loft and is HIV-positive.

ANGEL DUMOTT SCHUNARD: (20 to 30; Male; C3-A4)
The eccentric HIV-positive street drummer. A drag queen with an incredible gift of dance and a magnetic personality. He becomes Tom’s lover.

JOANNE JEFFERSON: (25 to 40; Female; G3-E5)
A public interest lawyer and headstrong lesbian. She is smart and purposeful in all her decisions. Carries on a tumultuous relationship with Maureen.

BENJAMIN COFFIN III: (25 to 35; Male; Bb2-F#4)
The landlord of Mark and Roger’s apartment building. A former roommate in the loft, Benny traded in his personal morals for power and wealth.

ENSEMBLE (10 members)
Homeless men & women; junkies, parents (Mrs. Cohen, Mr. & Mrs. Jefferson); support group (Steve, Gordon)