Like a lot of aspriting professional performers, Mark Christine has gone to professional auditions without much intention of actually getting work, just to get the experience and to get his face out there. It was a similarly simple motivation that led the current University of Michigan freshman to send a tape to the online "WannaBeInRent" contest.
By being one of the final three Christine was already promised an audition and work session with the "Rent" producers and casting agency, as well as the opportunity to perform on "Good Morning America." The Grand Prize in the contest was a walk-on part with the real Broadway cast of "Rent" on Friday night, March 7.
After seeing the Broadway production on Tuesday night, where all three finalists were taken backstage to meet the cast and get a tour of the Nederlander theater, the audition work session was on Wednesday, March 3, and was run by Evan Ensign, "Rent's" resident director and Bethany Berg from Tinsley Casting agency. Christine was taken through a handful of songs from the show sung by both Mark and Roger. "Evan directed me in each, trying to make my performances work better in the show's actual context, instead of as stand alone audition pieces."
After all three finalists went through their work sessions they got their individual auditions with all of "Rent's" producers, as well as director Michael Grief and others. "By that point I was pretty relaxed," Christine says. "I felt like I nailed the audition, it didn't hit me until afterward that I had just auditioned for some pretty important people. I wasn't nervous when I was in with them at all, though."
Christine and the other two finalists were then taught the song "Seasons of Love" that they would sing that Friday morning with the Broadway cast of "Rent" on "Good Morning America."
"Good Morning America/>/>" provided its own challenges for the three finalists. "They shot a lot of footage for those commercial bumpers. First they filmed us walking down the street before our auditions on Tuesday and then that night, when we were all back in our hotels hoping to just relax for a while they told us they wanted to get more footage of us at Times Square. That took another two hours and they only ended up using the very first shots they'd taken of us that morning. I guess that's TV."
Being on TV also required Christine to get up at four in the morning to start warming up his voice before being picked up to go to "Good Morning America" at five forty-five. At the studio he went through makeup and waited in the green room, noting that the celebrity guests stayed in their dressing rooms, so he didn't meet anyone else that was on the show that day. The finalists were taken to the stage at eight to sing at eight fifteen. Again, Christine didn't get nervous singing on TV but "started shaking" when he was done and realized that he'd just performed on national television. "Then for some reason I got nervous talking to host Robin Roberts."Friday morning, after getting up at five in the morning, Christine and the finalists got to TV early enough to run through "Seasons of Love" with the Broadway cast. Not sure what to expect this time, Christine nervously waited for the results of the voting to see if he would be in "Rent" that night. "I was really kind of shocked when they announced my name, but it was a great feeling. But the most awesome part was being onstage singing "Seasons" with that cast and feeling like a part of that group. The cast was so genuinely excited for me."
Christine's call that night's walk-on performance was for six forty-five where he went through costuming and met the entire cast for a put-in rehearsal where he was blocked into the "Out Tonight/Group Therapy" scene. He also sang at the end of "Another Day." During the "Group Therapy" scene he introduced himself by name, "which was weird since the main character's name is Mark too and his introducing himself is such a big deal in that scene. It was still cool."Christine watched the rest of the show from a seat right off stage right where he was able to more closely witness the onstage and offstage behavior of the performers. "Everyone comes off the stage so energized and excited. The show's about love and family and the cast really seems to embrace that. I got to see all the backstage traditions of the show, including a plaque Jonathan Larson's uncle makes for every new cast that they all touch before going onstage and the wall of the entryway that every important guest who has seen the show has signed, from James Earl Jones to Billy Joel."
At the curtain call, Christine was called out onstage by the cast for his bow before going backstage to meet with family and friends who had made the trip to see him and being given a poster signed by the cast as well as the Stage Manager's sheet listing him as "in" for that night's production. He then went out with the cast. "Jeremy Kushner (the current Roger) took care of me and the other finalists. But everyone was really nice and supportive."Neither Christine nor the other finalists were offered contracts for the show. Christine would have taken the opportunity had it come up but for now he's content to stay in college and keep working for his degree. "I'm just one of those people that wants to get the degree. I have a lot more to learn, I know that. This summer I'm looking at going to Point/> Park/> in Pittsburgh/>/> for their Summer Dance program. I need to improve that skill a lot."
But Christine's excitement for being a Broadway performer only increased with this experience. "The cast didn't look burned out or tired and they seemed really excited to be doing what they're doing and to really like one another. That's what I want. To be part of that family and that excitement."
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