TheatreTCC! anchors 2009-10 season with area's first licensed production of “Rent”

Tallahassee Community College's TheatreTCC! announced its 2009-10 season on Friday, one that will again bring a series of unforgettable musicals, drama and family shows to the Tallahassee community.

Headlining TheatreTCC!'s 2009-10 slate is Tallahassee's first licensed production of the Broadway hit musical “Rent.”

Winner of the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical, as well as a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, ”Rent” tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling with life, love and AIDS in New York's Lower East Side. Jonathon Larson's score draws on various musical genres including rock, tango, jazz and gospel, as well as musical theatre.

To better serve Tallahassee's growing cultural community, the 2009-10 season will also debut TheatreTCC!'s expansion into a summer program.

Other shows on TheatreTCC!'s 2009-10 schedule include “Deathtrap,” “The Hobbit” and “Blues for an Alabama Sky.”

The following is a synopsis of TheatreTCC!'s 2009-10 schedule:

“Deathtrap” by Ira Levin

The play follows Sydney Bruhl, a Broadway playwright with writer's block who puts murder in his plan to take credit for a student's script. Suspense mounts steadily as the plot begins to twist and turn with extreme cleverness and with such an abundance of thrills and laughter that audiences will be enthralled until the startling moments of the play!

“The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien – Original Stage Adaptation

The classic story of Bilbo Baggins and his adventures in Middle Earth is full of thrills, magic and wonder. TheatreTCC!'s colorful cast of hobbits, trolls, dwarves and goblins is guaranteed to entice both young and old alike while reminding us that the heart of a hero may be found inside the most unexpected creatures.

“Rent” by Jonathon Larson

Winner of the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical as well as a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Larson's score draws on various musical genres including rock, tango, jazz and gospel as well as musical theatre and tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling with life, love and AIDS in New York's Lower East Side.

Commenting on the show's closing on Broadway, The New York Times referred to it as “…a real-life story so affecting that it would have overwhelmed the musical itself had the substance of the musical not been so intertwined with the story of its creation.”

“Blues for an Alabama Sky” by Pearl Cleage

Revolving around Angel, a Cotton Blues singer, and her closest friends, Blues chronicles the struggle for fulfillment of their dreams. Written by award-winning playwright Pearl Cleage, this drama offers a captivating portrait of Harlem in the 1930s.

Dates for TheatreTCC!'s 2009-10 season will be released at a later time.

For more information, contact Eva Nielsen-Parks by phone, (850) 201-9882, or email nielsene@tcc.fl.edu.