Compass Rose Theater Partners With Anne Arundel Community College for Production of Rent

Compass Rose Theater is teaming up with Anne Arundel Community College’s Department of Performing Arts to bring Jonathan Larson’s landmark rock musical Rent to the Humanities Little Theatre at AACC in Arnold, Maryland, with performances running February 6 through March 8, 2026. The collaboration is designed as a true professional-training experience, giving students the chance to work side-by-side with seasoned theatre artists in a fully staged production while welcoming regional audiences in for a major title that still feels urgent, intimate, and alive onstage.

If you’ve never seen Rent (or haven’t revisited it in a while), the story tracks a year in the lives of young artists and friends in New York’s East Village as they navigate big dreams, fragile finances, complicated relationships, and the very real weight of illness and loss. Loosely inspired by Puccini’s La Bohème, the musical pulses with raw humor and heartbreak as its characters fight to make art, stay connected, and measure life in something more meaningful than what they don’t have.

This production also leans into the educational purpose of the partnership in tangible ways. AACC students are gaining hands-on experience across the process—supporting areas such as lighting, sound, costumes, set work, ushering, and even the audition pathway—so the show becomes both a performance for audiences and a practicum for the next generation of theatre makers.

Onstage, Rent is anchored by a cast that includes DeMario Adams-Holiday as Tom Collins, Ryan Alexander as Roger Davis, Sam Slottow as Mark Cohen, Azaria Oglesby as Mimi Marquez, Alexandra Baca as Maureen Johnson, Cameren Evans as Joanne Jefferson, Christian Gonzalez as Angel Dumott Schunard, and Willie Hadnot Jr. as Benny Coffin III, with additional ensemble members rounding out the community that makes the show’s world feel full and lived-in. The production also spotlights a performer who appeared on John Legend’s team on The Voice, adding another layer of musical firepower to an already vocally demanding score.

Behind the scenes, the creative team is led by producer Barbara Webber, director Stephen Emery, and music director Paige Rammelkamp, supported by designers and production staff that include set designer Sean Urbantke, lighting designer Kerry Brandon, choreographer and intimacy coordinator Elda Trombley, costume designer Ilana Mongilio, stage manager Amanda Matousek, AACC student props designer Kendra Reese, and AACC alum sound designer Steph Condon.

Adding to the immediacy of the performance, the production features a live four-piece band playing Larson’s score, underscoring the show’s concert-like energy while keeping the storytelling grounded in character and emotion. Whether you come for the iconic songs, the community-driven spirit, or the way Rent captures an entire generation’s hunger to create and belong, this run offers a compelling reason for DC-area audiences to make the trip up to Arnold.

Performances are scheduled Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. at the Humanities Little Theatre (Room 112), Anne Arundel Community College, 101 College Parkway, Arnold, MD, with tickets priced from $10 to $55 and discounts available for groups and select audiences.