South Jersey's Newest Collaborative Theater project mounts RENT

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Posted: 1/3/12 at 3:07pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Hot Musical, RENT, Will Heat Up South Jersey This Month

HAMMONTON— One of Broadway’s longest running ground-breaking musicals, RENT, is coming to Southern New Jersey this month! The Jonathan Larson musical RENT, winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Musical will be the Collaborative Stage Productions’ 2012 Season opener at the Eagle Theatre. RENT, based on Puccini’s opera La Bohème, is an incomparable rock score to one of Broadway’s longest running ground-breaking musicals. Collaborative Stage Productions (CSP) is South Jerseys’ newest non-profit professional theatre company.

National recording artist Brian Bortnick will reprise his role as Roger Davis for this upcoming production of RENT. A Philadelphia born and raised musician and a graduate of the University of the Arts, Bortnick has sold over 50,000 CD's with his, OCTANE. The band performed and toured with Disturbed, Fuel, Three Doors Down, and Staind. Recently, Brian toured with American Idol Season 6 finalist Chris Sligh. Regional audiences may recall seeing Bortnick in the title role of The Who’s Tommy, produced by Stage Left Productions at the Eagle Theatre in June of 2011. CSPs' production of RENT features a cast of some of the most talented performers in the Delaware Valley and will include musical accompaniment by a live rock band.

RENT performance dates: January 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, February 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 at 8:00 PM, January 29 at 3:00 PM at the Eagle Theatre, located at 208 Vine Street, Hammonton, NJ. For tickets, please visit HTTP://TheEagleTheatre.comHTTP://TheEagleTheatre.com, or call [phone] for more information.

A portion of the proceeds from RENT will benefit the South Jersey AIDS Alliance, South Jersey’s leader in the fight against AIDS. For more information about the organization, please visit hTTP://southjerseyaidsalliance.org.

RENT is Directed by Ed “Rico” Santiago, Produced by Ted Wioncek III, Choreographed by Dianne Certo, with Musical Direction by Jason Neri.

The Eagle Theatre and Collaborative Stage Productions (CSP) recently announced that two organizations will join forces to present CSP’s entire 2012 professional theatrical season at The Eagle Theatre in Hammonton, NJ. “The Eagle Theatre is proud to welcome Collaborative Stage Productions to our venue. It is our expectation that this partnership will elevate the caliber of the performing arts in Southern New Jersey, and provide audiences from around the region with an intimate, comfortable space to see top-notch professional theatre,” says James Donio, President of The Eagle Theatre.

About The Eagle Theatre:
The Eagle Theatre is a non-profit culturally diverse performing arts center located at 208 Vine Street in Downtown Hammonton, New Jersey. It is committed to the education and entertainment of audiences throughout the greater South Jersey and Philadelphia regions. The theatre was restored in 2009 and has since been reborn as the centerpiece of the Hammonton Art District. The Eagle Theatre is proud to be the home of both Second and Vine Players, a community theatre company, and Collaborative Stage Productions, a professional theatre company. For more information about the theatre and the 2012 season, please visit HTTP://TheEagleTheatre.comHTTP://TheEagleTheatre.com.


About Collaborative Stage Productions:
Collaborative Stage Productions (CSP), the newest non-profit professional theatre company in Southern New Jersey, is pleased to be located in Hammonton, New Jersey. CSP was created by the founders of Stage Left Productions, Ed Corsi, and The Collaborative Act Studio (TCAS), Ted Wioncek III. Stage Left Productions has provided exciting theatre to regional audiences since 2009 and their critically acclaimed productions of Chicago and The Rocky Horror Show were recently performed at the Eagle Theatre. TCAS first burst onto the Southern New Jersey theatre scene in 2007 with its critically acclaimed production of William Inge’s Splendor in the Grass, followed by three full seasons of professionally produced theatre. Both theater companies were known for producing “edgy and daring works” and had taken their productions on tour throughout the tri-state area. TCAS was recently honored with a New Jersey Association of Community Theatre (NJACT) Perry Award for Outstanding Production of a Play. Together, Stage Left Productions and The Collaborative Act Studio have been nominated for more than thirty (30) Perry Award Nominations. The creation of Collaborative Stage Productions is intended to generate professional theatre of great creativity and artistry for regional audiences to enjoy. For more information about CSP, including details about the 2012 season, please visit CollaborativeStage.org.