Broadway Stars Headed to TCAN for Annual Fundraiser

Courtesy Center for Arts in Natick

A special concert featuring Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, iconic stars of the Tony Award-winning musical sensation RENT, will mark the 15th anniversary of The Center for Arts in Natick. These two dynamic artists will perform individually and together, with a finale reprise featuring several memorable songs from RENT. TCAN Executive Director David Lavalley calls this event “a significant milestone in TCAN’s history and a tribute to the spirit of our mission.”

Walnut Hill School for the Arts will provide the host venue for TCAN’s 2012 benefit on their nearby Natick campus. Earlier in the day, Adam and Anthony will present a master class to seniors studying theatre at Walnut Hill.  “We are thrilled to host the TCAN benefit on campus this year. It’s another example of the value of our growing partnership and our respective roles as leaders within the local arts community,” commented Antonio Viva, Head of School.

As TCAN’s largest fundraising event of the year, the benefit will raise funds for TCAN’s mission of providing affordable arts programming and year round arts education programs for the communities of Metrowest. TCAN contributes to the vibrancy of Natick Center by hosting over 20,000 patrons each year in its 270-seat venue, a restored Firehouse originally built in 1875. “This is a celebration of the positive impact that TCAN and the arts have made on our community,” said Mr. Lavalley. “I’m deeply grateful to our benefactors and the celebrated musicians and artists who have brought us to our fifteenth year and this extraordinary evening of music.” 

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Pascal and Rapp, best known for their lead roles in the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway musical RENT, have become two of the most well respected performers in musical theatre.  Their show Adam and Anthony Live debuted in Manhattan in September 2010 and has received much critical praise. 

Pascal earned a Tony-nomination for his role as Roger Davis in RENT, then went on to originate the role of Radames in Elton John and Tim Rice’s Broadway hit Aida.  He is also known for lead roles in the 1998 revival of Cabaret, the London concert version of Chess, and most recently, the Tony Award winning Memphis.  Off Broadway, Pascal returned to his rock ‘n’ roll roots to record three albums in the last decade – Model Prisoner, Civilian, and Blinding Light (2008).  He has also appeared in several films, including a reprise of his role in the 2005 film version of RENT directed by Chris Columbus.

Rapp performed the role of Charlie Brown in the 1999 Broadway revival of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.  His one-man show Without You won awards at the 2010 New York Musical Theatre Festival, including Outstanding Individual Performance. Rapp has released a solo CD Look Around, and his book Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss and the Musical Rent became a bestseller in 2006.  Rapp has appeared in many films, with his notable work including Dazed and Confused, School Ties, A Beautiful Mind, Road Trip, and Six Degrees of Separation. 

Tickets to the October 6 TCAN Benefit 2012 are $100 and guests can purchase additional tickets to a Champagne and Dessert Soiree following the concert with Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp. Tickets are available online at www.natickarts.org or by contacting the TCAN Box Office at 508-647-0097.  Sponsorship opportunities are also available