Laurelhurs​t Youth in Local Production of RENT Starting Tonight

Jordan, with Broadway Bound, invites the community to their newest production opening tonight, Rent: School Edition, in which thirty young actors, including one  from Laurelhurst, Anna Given. She also performed in "13", a few months ago, with several other Laurelhurst young actors.

Rent: School Edition, has been slightly modifed from the original Tony Award winning musical, with only the extraction of one song (“Contact”) and some language adjustment.

The  story follows the lives of a group of friends for a year, who are starving artists,  living on New York's Lower East Side. The story line shows the group as they experience the triumphs and tribulations of life. The group of friends are, Mark, a filmmaker;  Maureen, an eccentric performance artist and Mark’s ex-girlfriend, Joanne, Maureen’s new lover; Roger, Mark’s roommate; Mimi, an exotic dancer and Roger’s new love; Collins, a computer genius and friend of Mark and Roger; Angel, Collins’ lover, a street musician and drag queen; and Benny, a former friend who left the group to marry a member of the socioeconomic elite.

The show has mature themes.  And Jordan told us that "the actors, ranging in age from 12 to 17 years old, have been tackling difficult issues head on as they rehearse. Some, like the realities of living with AIDS, are completely foreign. Others, like the intricacies of friendships and being comfortable in your own skin, hit closer to home".

The show runs through Sunday, June 3 at the Seattle Musical Theatre in Magnuson Park. Tickets are $17.50 through Brown Paper Tickets or by phone at 1.800.838.3006.

Broadway Bound Children’s Theatre serves more than 1,000 young artists each year (ages 5-18) from more than 100 public and private schools. Any child who auditions becomes part of the acting company. Professional theatre artists from Seattle’s arts community mentor Broadway Bound students.

Broadway Bound Children’s Theatre has received funding from several foundations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, John Graham Foundation, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Washington State Arts Commission and others.