On a drizzly Monday morning last November, Jed Resnick '06 lined up with approximately 12 thousand other people outside New York City's 37 Arts Theatre to wait for an audition. A few weeks later, Resnick received a phone call and decided to take a semester off from studying at Brown in order to star as lead character Mark in the national tour of the Broadway smash hit "Rent."
Speaking on the telephone from York, Penn., with motor-cycles thundering in the back-ground, an obviously exultant Resnick described his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as "overwhelming" and "beyond my belief."
Resnick's journey began when he received an e-mail from the Department of Theatre, Speech and Dance last semester, informing students of an open audition for "Rent" in New York City, Resnick's hometown.
During Thanksgiving break, Resnick and a friend, Allison Posner '05, decided to take a chance with the audition. Posner was turned down, but Resnick went through five rounds of callbacks, each testing his ability to sing, dance and act - a process that culminated in late December with a telephone call from the show's director and producers informing him he had bagged the role.
"I screamed really, really loudly," Resnick said. "I never expected it. I love the show and always wanted to play Mark, but every time I took a step after the audition I thought it would be the last."
Arguably, however, Resnick, began his journey toward the role long before he received that department e-mail. He has interned at theater companies, participated in community theater and spent his summers acting. Resnick, a theatre arts concentrator, has also been actively involved in the theater scene at Brown, devoting himself to Sock and Buskin, Production Workshop and Brownbrokers, among others. He said he feels as if he has been "preparing for this role my whole life."
After the show was cast, rigorous rehearsals began in New York City on Jan. 4. Resnick and the other cast members, who range in age from 18 to 27, worked eight-hour days for three weeks, receiving only two days off during that time. Following a run-through of the show for its producers, the cast and crew of "Rent" traveled to York, the tour's first stop, to begin technical rehearsals. Resnick's workday has increased to 11 hours in anticipation of previews to be held at Pennsylvania State College last Friday and Saturday. The tour departs for Cleveland tomorrow and will go on to visit several American cities.
Describing his regrets at having to leave Brown, Resnick mentioned not being able to participate in Sock and Buskin's upcoming production of "Hair," missing his friends and being unable to take a solo performance theatre arts seminar. Resnick plans to return to Brown next spring, and earn his degree in May 2007. After that he would like to go back to New York City and continue his career as an actor.
For now, however, Resnick is focusing on the seven-month tour ahead of him. Despite his all-consuming daily rehearsals and his occasional doubts as to whether he is even right for the role, Resnick said he is having the time of his life.
"I'm working with an in-credible group of people," he said. "On the first day of rehearsal we sang 'Seasons of Love.' It sounded amazing. It blew me away."
