Original cast members to appear at Batavia High School production of 'Rent'
The Batavia High School production of "Rent," which runs Thursday-Sunday, April 27-30 at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre, will be even more special on Saturday.
The Saturday performance will feature Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, the originators of the roles of Roger and Mark from the Broadway production of "Rent." They will make a one-night appearance in conjunction with the BHS production.
The full performance will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a 60-minute show by Pascal and Rapp titled "Acoustically Speaking: 20 Years of Friendship." At the conclusion, the cast will join the veteran professionals on stage for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Tickets for this show are $30-42.
Regular performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Ticket prices range from $10- $16 and are available online at www.BataviaFineArtsCentre.org and at the box office by calling (630) 937-8930.
Set in the East Village of New York City, "Rent" is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today.
Winner of the Tony Award for best musical and the Pulitzer Prize for drama, it has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.
"We are glad to be able to present this valuable and pertinent piece of literature; it is one of the most brilliant shows to come from Broadway in the past two decades," said director Dominic Cattero.
The cast of 46 BHS student actors have been in rehearsals since early February working diligently to bring true emotional depth and feeling to their characters. Cast members include freshmen Sophie Chahmirzadi, Bella Clarey, Landon Keller, Maisie Sweeney and Jeremiah Young; sophomores Demi Anderson, Jenna Breiten, Colin Callahan, Anna Harms, Nathan Knautz, Sarah Maher, Alexis Reyna, Nataleigh Rix, Cate Rocha, JD Rodriguez, Maisy Wilson, Shelby Woods and Lily Zofkie; juniors Vinnie Cesarone, Samanta Echevarria, Hannah Levin, Max Micheli, Emily O'Brien, Natalie Sweeney, Alex Toth, Meghan Tucker and Abigail Weiss; and seniors Elsa Bauerdick, Kyle Berry, Cassidy Chadwell, Ivy Flessen, Ariana Garcia, Allison Gotfryd, Taleen Jabrieh, Jusitn Knautz, Maddy Kozar, Bobby Martinez, Tori McKeehan, Kailey Nelson, Marcelo Nylund, Bridget O'Brien, Ian Samsami, Matt Skirmont, Ryan Taylor, Cameron Tucker and Shauna Winters.
The crew has been tasked with constructing an amazing two-story set that is the largest build to date to occur at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre.
Student crew members include freshman Ian Farrar, Jason Jakubaitis, Colin Steele; sophomores Joshua Bamrick, Liam Doherty, Emily Ehrhagt, Kobi Finfrock; juniors Kate Domeier, Lauren Gross, Erika Knutson, Tommy Neumann, Mary Clare Perreault, Ethan Slaughter; and seniors Adam Arroyo, Ryan Bamrick, Max Bergie, Cameron Erickson, Brandon Johnson, Casey Kirk and Rachel Lingafelter.
The musical score will be played by BHS student musicians who will perform live in the background of the set on stage: JJ Burke, Mia Chahmirzadi, John Hix, John Le, Ariane Omerza, Aidan Perrault and Kevin Sliczniak.