"RENT!" is hot ticket for Shelterbelt Theater
Emily Johnson
Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: Entertainment
As a music composer, Tim said he can definitely relate to his character, Mark Cohen, as a creator striving "to do something new, to reinvent himself and find his own style."
"Mark is also sort of geeky, and a little trendy and he's also kind of a loner. I can identify with all of those on some level," Tim said. "I think the most fun part about playing Mark is how alive Mark gets to be on stage. He actually gets really fun interactions, such as, there's a number where Mark gets to tango, there's another one where Mark kind of goes crazy and gets to dance on this huge table, and I think that's really opened me up as an actor, those are two challenging things for me and it's been a lot of fun."
Mallory said her draw to the show was its overall message of hope and endurance.
"You hear about people, different characters having AIDS and you'd think that it's a really sad story but the message of the overall musical is really uplifting," Mallory said. "The main line of the show is 'No day but today' and just really living for today, no matter what obstacles you might have to overcome."
As the youngest member of the cast, Mallory loves working with a diverse and experienced cast. In the company, Mallory said she is everything from a character's mother to an AIDS sufferer to a "yuppie."
"It's just kind of putting yourself in that area, and I've never lived in New York City, I don't know anyone who suffers from AIDS, so you just kind of have to find something, a similar experience that you've had to make you feel those feelings and draw those emotions out," Mallory said. "It's funny, there's some numbers where the song actually represents people having sex, so you can't be shy, and so you just have to come out of your shell."
Both Tim and Mallory said the show has the advantage of a devoted cast familiar with the show before auditions even began, saving time in memorizing but adding unique challenges.
Tim said a critical part in the show for him has been unlearning everything he's taken in about the musical before and focusing on making the raw character of Mark his own. Mallory emphasized that as everyone tries to do the same, despite close bonds awkward moments arise.
"Mark is also sort of geeky, and a little trendy and he's also kind of a loner. I can identify with all of those on some level," Tim said. "I think the most fun part about playing Mark is how alive Mark gets to be on stage. He actually gets really fun interactions, such as, there's a number where Mark gets to tango, there's another one where Mark kind of goes crazy and gets to dance on this huge table, and I think that's really opened me up as an actor, those are two challenging things for me and it's been a lot of fun."
Mallory said her draw to the show was its overall message of hope and endurance.
"You hear about people, different characters having AIDS and you'd think that it's a really sad story but the message of the overall musical is really uplifting," Mallory said. "The main line of the show is 'No day but today' and just really living for today, no matter what obstacles you might have to overcome."
As the youngest member of the cast, Mallory loves working with a diverse and experienced cast. In the company, Mallory said she is everything from a character's mother to an AIDS sufferer to a "yuppie."
"It's just kind of putting yourself in that area, and I've never lived in New York City, I don't know anyone who suffers from AIDS, so you just kind of have to find something, a similar experience that you've had to make you feel those feelings and draw those emotions out," Mallory said. "It's funny, there's some numbers where the song actually represents people having sex, so you can't be shy, and so you just have to come out of your shell."
Both Tim and Mallory said the show has the advantage of a devoted cast familiar with the show before auditions even began, saving time in memorizing but adding unique challenges.
Tim said a critical part in the show for him has been unlearning everything he's taken in about the musical before and focusing on making the raw character of Mark his own. Mallory emphasized that as everyone tries to do the same, despite close bonds awkward moments arise.
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