Anthony Rapp, who originated the role of Mark Cohen in the musical and film Rent, will deliver the keynote speech at UofL Pride Week 2011.
Rapp, who starred as documentary filmmaker Mark in the Tony Award-winning rock opera—which explored a struggle with life, love and AIDS, and the impact of each on people’s lives—shared an OBIE Award with the cast for their stage performance. After taking the show from off-Broadway to Broadway and around the world, Rapp reprised his role in the 2005 film adaptation. He also authored the 2006 national bestseller Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss and the Musical Rent, which details his experiences during the show’s original run (including the sudden death of Rent playwright Jonathan Larson) and his mother’s battle with cancer.
Rapp has also appeared in films such as Dazed and Confused and A Beautiful Mind.
During his Pride Week lecture, Rapp will take audiences through his career, his losses and the role the iconic musical played in bringing LGBT, HIV/AIDS and poverty issues into the national spotlight.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is at 7 p.m. this coming Thursday, October 6, Multipurpose Room, Student Activities Center. After his talk, there will be an 8:30 p.m. afterparty at Third Avenue Café, 1164 S. Third St.
For more information, contact Brian Buford, director of LGBT services, at 852-0696 or brian.buford@louisville.edu.
Photo: Courtesy University of Louisville
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