Rapp n' Rays

Anthony Rapp sang the National Anthem at the Tampa Bay Rays game tonight in Tropicana Field. The Rays don't make jerseys for just anybody.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

And in about 5 minutes he'll be performing RENT for the second time today.  Don't miss the last 2 performances tomorrow!

-Kari G.

Test Drive Your Social Networking

Today was Test Drive Your Seats - a great opportunity for the community to run around Morsani Hall and see the available seats for the Broadway Season.  It was a bit of an early morning for most of us on the marketing staff.  We all had the "best intentions" to go to bed early last night - but I think the average bedtime was between 1:30 and 2 a.m.  

Bleary eyed but eager, we opened the doors to scores of waiting patrons at 9:30. We answered questions, talked of sight lines (Is stage left better than stage right?), levels (is the Mezzanine better than the Orchestra?) and season ticket options (Silver package v. Platinum package?).  Our Development team assisted patrons who saw the benefits of becoming members and ensuring the best seats in the Broadway Circle.

There are still great seats available for all performances in the season.  If you missed Test Drive today, don't worry, your perfect seats might still be waiting for you!

As the event wore down - we realized that in our quiet time, we were all posting Tweets.  This is what happens when an account has multiple users and too many marketers with iPhones.  Ah technology!

TBPAC's social networking contributors is expanding.  It's only going to get more interesting.  In the coming weeks TBPAC will be giving you, our readers and fans, a multi-dimensional look at all aspects of the world of a Performing Arts Center.  Staff from all areas of TBPAC will share their world with you.

Social Networking channels for TBPAC will still be one of the first places to gain information on discounts, show announcements and reminders of public on-sales, but we want to add to that knowledge a glimpse into the experiences we have at TBPAC.

Follow us on Twitter @TBPAC and get the news as it happens, from all corners of our organization.  Friend us on Facebook and MySpace for photos and contests that will be exclusive to our Friends.  Subscribe to Culture Shock and find out what we're up to and comment back with your thoughts and questions.

There is a Native American proverb that "It takes a thousand voices to tell one story." We're adding more voices and we need your voice as well - come to the discussion.

Have a great weekend - and if you haven't seen RENT yet, you still have 4 performances left.  If you're going to the Tampa Bay Rays game tonight - Anthony Rapp is singing the National Anthem - then rushing back to do the evening performance.  How cool is that?

-Kari G.  

The Running of the Bulls - RENT style

I was at the Shimberg Playhouse for the preview performance of Stagework's The Little Dog Laughed last night. As I was standing outside to congratulate local actors Julie Rowe, Matthew Lunsford, Nick Horan, and Mary Jordan, I felt a great rush of adrenaline, angst and adoration as the Running of the RENTheads went past me in a blur.

They wore sundresses with heels, jeans with Chuck Taylors, a mix of emotion and confusion and unbridled joy. They smelled of androgynous cologne and summer sweat. They giggled and shrieked as the clacking of their shoes echoed down the corridor.

There was 500 ft. between them and the Stage Door. They were quickly gaining ground towards the Stage Door. The velvet ropes were in sight. We were in their way.

We moved. Quickly.

And so the Running of RENTheads flew by us, desperately jockeying for their place in line. Hoping for the best angle to see Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp.

So if you're coming to TBPAC this weekend to see RESPECT, Little Dog Laughed or you happen to be sitting close to the ends of the aisles for RENT - be warned - the Running of the RENTheads is real and they will not be stopped by mere mortals like you.

-Kari G.

The ultimate RENThead experience

We love our summer intern AP (we'll call her AP to protect her identity). AP has suffered through our last minute freak-outs, has become well acquainted with our temperamental copy machine, stared at 10 spreadsheets and made them one coherent document, and frequently asks me (without prompting) if I need Starbucks.

In short - she's an angel.

She's also a RENThead. Bad. Almost to the point of wanting to tease her. But you can't tease somebody that just copied and cut 2,500 inserts for you.

She saw RENT last night, she's seeing it tonight. If she wasn't expected to be here in the mornings, I bet she would be hanging out in line with the other RENTheads for rush tickets (they camp out).

Working here and interning here can be a lot of hard work. "The show must go on" isn't a saying, it's a edict. We get a lot done in a little bit of time and if we do our job right, the patron never notices.

AP has learned that and she's gained experience and become a great team member. Today, we got to do something nice for her.

AP got to assist the publicist in picking up Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal today. If you're a Beatles Fan - she got to pick up John and Paul. If you're a U2 fan - she got to pick up Bono and The Edge. If you're a Jonas Brothers fan - she got to pick up 2 of the 3 of them. (They all look the same to me, sorry).

As I type this she is meeting the two men who first breathed life into Roger and Mark and made RENT the worldwide success that it is today. The only advice I could give her was, "Try not to drool."

The work here is hard, the perks are unbelievable. I doubt she will ever forget today.

-Kari G.

Great deals on RENT tickets

Want to see RENT next week with Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, the original Broadway cast members, but need a little help in the money department? No problem. We've got a couple great offers!

- Save 25% off the Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday performances. Use promo code ROGER. This offer is valid on price level 1 & 2 and limited to 4 discounted tickets.

- We've also partnered with Tinatapa's in Channelside for a special dinner & a show package. For $165 you receive two price level 1 tickets to RENT (Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday only), plus dinner for two at Tinatapa's (which you can use anytime between now and Nov. 1). We've even thrown in free valet parking at Channelside. Call the TBPAC Ticket Office, 813.229.STAR (7827), for more details and to purchase.

Both offers are not applicable to prior sales. Subject to availability. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Service charges apply.

Photo by Joan Marcus.

Looking for RENT fans!

We are currently looking for enthusiastic RENT fans that would like to help distribute flyers and posters throughout the Tampa Bay area as well as posting online to promote the show coming to the TBPAC July 7-12. It's pretty easy and in exchange for helping promote the show I'll hook you up with a pair of opening night tickets.

If you're interested, shoot me an email at angela.lakin@tbpac.org and I'll be happy to fill you in on all the details.

Follow In The Heights!

If you love In The Heights, the show is now on Facebook and Twitter. Become a fan of the show on Facebook and/or follow them on Twitter... http://twitter.com/ninarosario

And for all the Rent Heads, or wanna be Rent Heads, you can also follow the new Rent Broadway Tour (coming to the TBPAC in July) on Twitter... http://twitter.com/rentthebwaytour

Following any other Broadway shows?

Open & close: Magic of the theater

In the annual rite of January closings, more than a dozen Broadway plays and musicals are either dark or getting dimmer this month in NYC.

Rather than mourn their passing (for there are others on the horizon to fill their stages and their seats), let The New York Times celebrate not that they are leaving, but that they were alive in the first place.

"Live theater has a built-in bittersweetness born of its ephemeral nature. The magic is here and now, it's gone forever ... or at least until its next revival. ... That's why being present when a work of achieved art passes into history (or even earlier during its run -- MK) can be inordinately moving, a reminder that beauty itself is mostly an evanescent thing in life."

Here at TBPAC, we just waved good-bye to the last of the energetic cast of "Spring Awakening," who jump-started our 2009. Now we look ahead to "Riverdance," "Spamalot" and "Rent" over the next months, along with a host of smaller, more intimate, productions in our other four theaters.

If your new year's resolution is to have more memories than regrets, consider starting here. -- MichaelK

Win tickets to the opening night of RENT!

Text RENT to TBPAC (82722) before each performance of Spring Awakening (Dec. 30, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 31, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.; Jan 1, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.; Jan. 2, 2009 at 8 p.m.; Jan. 3, 2009 at 2 p.m.; Jan. 3, 2009 at 8 p.m.; Jan. 4, 2009 at 2 p.m. and Jan. 4, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.) for your chance to win a pair of opening night tickets to see RENT on July 7, 2009. A winner will be chosen at random during every performance of Spring Awakening, notified by text message and given further instructions on how to claim the prize.

Standard text-messaging rates from your carrier apply. Only one entry per device. Entries will be received daily up until the scheduled show time. Saturday and Sunday will each have two contests with one ending with the matinee performance and the other ending at the evening performance.

For complete contest rules, click here.

TBPAC's SMS technology is provided by our friends at Agile Communications.

RENT, RENT, RENT, RENT, REEENNNNTTTT

Sony Pictures captured Rent's final night on Broadway on Sept. 7 and is bringing this Hot Ticket feature to movie theaters near you -- for 4 days only -- beginning today! There is backstage footage of the emotional night, interviews from cast members past and present -- a real Renthead can afford to miss this opportunity. Here's a link to a full list of theaters where it's playing -- lots of places to catch it -- Baywalk, Starlight 20, Citrus Park ... and many more.

TBPAC will be bringing a special 2009 tour of Rent in July, starring the original Mark and Roger, Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal.

- summer b

NYTimes slideshow: The curtain comes down on RENT

Check it out here!

Don't forget that TBPAC will host RENT with original cast members Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal!

Watch GMA for more RENT!

Check it out, some exciting stuff here - including info on who will be coming to Tampa with the show!

From a tour release sent to us:

CAST OF RENT TO PERFORM LIVE ON “GOOD MORNING AMERICA”

FRIDAY, AUGUST 1 IN BRYANT PARK

WITH A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE BY ORIGINAL CAST MEMBERS ADAM PASCAL AND ANTHONY RAPP

BROADWAY’S RENT TO CLOSE SEPTEMBER 7

PASCAL AND RAPP BEGIN NATIONAL TOUR OF SHOW

IN CLEVELAND, OHIO JANUARY 6, 2009

The cast of the landmark Broadway musical RENT will perform as part of the “Good Morning America” Summer Concert Series on Friday, August 1. The concert will air nationwide on ABC in the half hour beginning at 8:30 am.

The concert will include a special performance by original cast members Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp who are not currently in the Broadway company, but who will be starting a national tour of the show in Cleveland, Ohio on January 6, 2009.

The cast of RENT includes Tracie Thoms who starred as Joanne in the movie of RENT and has come to the Broadway company in the same role as well as Will Chase as Roger, Renee Goldsberry as Mimi, Eden Espinosa as Maureen, Michael McElroy as Collins, Adam Kantor as Mark, Justin Johnston as Angel, Rodney Hicks as Benny with Shaun Earl, Andrea Goss, Marcus Paul James, Telly Leung, Tracy McDowell, Jay Wilkison, and Gwen Stewart (“Seasons of Love” soloist). Rodney Hicks and Gwen Stewart were both in the original company of RENT and have rejoined the cast to close the show.

RENT, written by Jonathan Larson and directed by Michael Greif, opened at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre, on April 29, 1996 following a history making, sold out, extended limited engagement at off-Broadway’s New York Theatre Workshop. The musical went on to win every major best musical award, including the Tony Award, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for drama. RENT is the seventh longest running show in Broadway history. RENT is scheduled to close on Sunday, September 7.

Visit www.siteforrent.com for more information.

Breaking News: Wicked's Idina Menzel booked 7/27

Tony Award-winning Broadway star Idina Menzel will play Ferguson Hall on Sun., July 27, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $38.50 and will go on sale to her fan club, TBPAC donors and TBPAC Broadway Series season ticket holders on June 24 at noon. The show will go on sale to the general public on Fri., June 27 at noon.


Idina Menzel originated the role of the green-skinned Elphaba in the blockbuster Wicked, which won her a 2004 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She's also very well known from her portrayal of Maureen in the Broadway and film versions of RENT.

Since this show is in our more intimate 1,042-seat Ferguson Hall, we recommend you get your tickets when they go on sale to ensure you get a seat!

Special Tony Award performances

My favorite part of the Tony Awards (and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade) are the Broadway performances. There will be 13 performances in total from the various nominees, however there will be special performances by The Lion King and Rent.

The original principal cast members of Rent are schedule to appear alongside the current Broadway cast to celebrate the show's 12-year run, which comes to an end on Sept. 7. In addition, the current cast of The Lion King will be on hand for a special performance to commemorate the show's 10-year anniversary on Broadway.

As always, more information is available on the Tony Award website.

RENT closes on Broadway

After 12 years on Broadway, RENT will close on June 1 after 5,012 performances. It will be the seventh-longest running Broadway show behind "The Phantom of the Opera," "Cats," "Les Miserables," "A Chorus Line," "Oh! Calcutta!" and "Beauty and the Beast."

As a bit of a side note, "The Phantom of the Opera" will celebrate its 20th birthday on Saturday, Jan. 26, with more than 8,300 Broadway performances ... and still counting.

FREE RENT!

From Ashley the Intern:

In honor of the amazing original cast members, Adam Pascal (Roger Davis) and Anthony Rapp (Mark Cohen) reprising their roles in Broadway’s production of RENT through October, we are going to be hosting the film adaptation as our movie-on-the-lawn! The movie is FREE and you can bring your own blanket and chairs (no coolers though, sorry!) and enjoy the movie that starred these two prolific original stars!

Even better, we will be offering special ticket discounts to the Opera La Boheme which, by the way, is what RENT is based on. Since La Boheme is coming to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in November what better way to celebrate Adam and Anthony’s return than to see them in RENT the movie and then watch the award-winning musical’s inspiration on stage?

Anyway, here’s a character comparison between RENT and La Boheme so you can see the similarities in both productions!

See you at the movie!

Character in La Boheme	Character in RENT
Mimi, a seamstress with tuberculosis	Mimi Marquez, an exotic dancer with HIV
Rodolfo, a poet	Roger Davis, a musician with HIV
Marcello, a painter	Mark Cohen, a filmmaker
Musetta, a singer	Maureen Johnson, a bisexual performance artist
Schaunard, a musician	Angel Dumott Schunard, a gay cross-dressing drummer with AIDS
Colline, a philosopher	Tom Collins, a gay philosophy professor and Anarchist philosopher with AIDS
Alcindoro, a state councillor	Joanne Jefferson, a lesbian lawyer
Benoit, a landlord	Benjamin 'Benny' Coffin III, also a landlord