Actor Anthony Rapp to Speak at UC

Anthony Rapp, the actor best known for originating the role of Mark Cohen in the smash Broadway hit musical, “RENT,” will be the featured speaker at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 7, in the Great Hall of UC’s Tangeman University Center (TUC).

The event will also include a performance by students representing UC’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM).

Rapp’s appearance, presented by UC’s student-led Program and Activities Council (PAC), is free and open to the public. However, priority seating will be provided to UC students with their student ID.

In 1996, “RENT,” an exploration of the impact of life, love and AIDS on society, dominated the Tony Awards. The play, co-produced by CCM alumnus Kevin McCollum, won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and was only the fifth musical ever to win both the Pulitzer and the Tony Award.

Rapp shared an OBIE (Off-Broadway) Award with the rest of the cast. He also reprised his role in the 2005 motion picture.

Rapp is now on tour with a performance adapted from his national best-seller, “Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss and the Musical, ‘RENT.’” The book details Rapp’s experiences in the original run of the show as well as his personal struggle in dealing with the loss of his mother to cancer.

The event will be followed by a book-signing. Rapp’s book is on display in the UC Bookstore through Feb. 7. The cost of the book is $14.

Rapp serves on the board of the non-profit, Friends In Deed, which provides emotional support for people who have been diagnosed with AIDS/HIV, cancer or other life-threatening illnesses – as well as for their families and caregivers.

UC’s PAC is a student-run organization that is dedicated to promoting and developing community growth and quality leadership through the sponsorship of films, concerts, comedians, speakers and other events.

For more information, call UC’s Student Activities and Leadership Development (SALD) at 513-556-6115

Media Advisory

The event is open to media coverage (including flash cameras) during the first 10 minutes of the program only.

“RENT” Highlighted in CCM Mainstage Series

CCM’s Mainstage Series presents “RENT” Feb. 24- March 6 in Patricia Corbett Theater. It will be the first time that CCM has produced the show.