Auditions (Calgary): Rent – The Honest Collective, Theater News

Audition sign-ups for Rent are officially OPEN! 🌟

This is your chance to join the cast of one of the most iconic musicals of all time. All the details you need can be found in the Casting Call PDF, found here: https://tinyurl.com/RENTAuditionInfo

Don’t miss your opportunity—grab your spot now! We can’t wait to see you all there!!

Get ready to light up the stage with The Honest Collective’s production of Rent this spring in Calgary, running from June 6-28, 2025.

The Honest Collective is a semi-professional theatre company that thrives in the unique space between community and professional theatre. We are dedicated to fostering artistic growth and collaboration among both emerging and established artists. For this show, all artists will be paid a small honorarium and participate in the show’s profit-share.

We’re searching for passionate performers to bring this iconic rock musical to life, and we welcome artists of all backgrounds and experiences. We extend a warm invitation to performers with diverse physical and mental disabilities to audition.

For this production, we have particular interest in voices and talents from People of Colour and individuals who identify as trans, non-binary, queer, 2-spirit, or otherwise fall under the LGBTQ2+ umbrella.

If you encounter any barriers to auditioning, please reach out to us – we’re committed to creating an inclusive and accessible audition process for all.

Rent is the story of a group of friends living in New York City during the height of the AIDS epidemic, and explores themes of sexuality, poverty, homelessness, addiction, disease, mental health, and more, but is ultimately about the forces of love and human spirit that bond a community together.

Audition Requirements
All auditioners must fill out this intake form: https://form.jotform.com/241257288493062

In-person auditions will take place at BonnyBoom – The Arts Uncommon (3640 15a St SE, Calgary) on January 4th from 11am-7pm and January 6th from 5:30-9:30pm, with callbacks to follow on January 11th.

For this production, we will only be accepting submission from performers who will be over 18 years of age at the start of our rehearsal period (April 8, 2025).

Please prepare the following:
● A 90-second song from the musical theatre canon.
● A 90-second monologue in any genre.
● A second 90-second song, either a contrasting musical theatre piece or a pop/rock song, in case we’d like to hear more.

Notes:
⮚ We ask that you not go over the times listed above so that we can be respectful of all the auditioners’ time.
⮚ You will have the option of hooking up a device (phone, laptop, tablet, etc) to an auxiliary cord or connecting to Bluetooth for your backing track. Adapters will be provided for Apple and USB-C devices.
⮚ Having a backing track is preferred, but if this is not doable, you may sing acapella. Please note that you may be asked to do some pitch-matching exercises in the room if you choose this option.

Video Submissions
Though we love to see people in person, we understand that it may present a barrier for some. If this is the case for you, we can accept video auditions with the same requirements as above. We welcome submissions from anywhere, but please note that you must be able to attend rehearsals and performances in Calgary.

You can submit videos in the audition form or email them to honestcollectivetheatre@gmail.com. We will be accepting video auditions until 6pm on January 6th.

Characters:
All characters are somewhere between their late teens and mid thirties.

• Mark Cohen- masc. Idealistic filmmaker, knee deep in his own soul-searching. Former partner of Maureen.
• Roger Davis- masc. A struggling musician and former drug addict trying to come to terms with being HIV positive. Love interest of Mimi.
• Mimi Marquez – femme. A vibrant soul and exotic dancer dealing with HIV and a heroin addiction but striving to live her life to the fullest. Love interest of Roger.
• Tom Collins – masc. Kind soul, political activist, with a smooth and relaxed disposition despite being HIV positive. Love interest of Angel.
• Angel Dumott Schunard – genderqueer. Extraordinarily generous, magnetic, and the heart of the group, Angel doesn’t let their HIV status hinder their vivaciousness. Plays with both masculine and feminine presentations. Angel’s gender/presentation will be flexible depending on the performer cast. Love interest of Collins.
• Maureen Johnson – femme. A performance artist- unpredictable, zany, and lavishes in her sexiness. Adores attention, and cares fiercely for those closest to her. Former partner of Mark, current love interest of Joanne.
• Joanne Jefferson – femme (but perhaps more butch). A headstrong, talented, and purposeful public interest lawyer passionate about helping the less fortunate. Love interest of Maureen.
• Benjamin Coffin III (Benny) – masc. Former resident of Avenue A, has now traded in the bohemian life for the power and wealth of property ownership and is the landlord of the other residents.
• Ensemble – Any genders. Various Alphabet City residents, bohemians, life support members, police officers, parents, and others.