I do not own RENT or Tracie Thoms or Idina Menzel and all others mentioned…I WISH!
Tracie was walking around her neighborhood bookstore, just looking for something interesting to read. She was starting her junior year of college. She found a new book called "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West". She bought it then walked out down the New York streets to her dorm room at Juilliard. A couple of blocks from the dorms she stopped at a café, and sat down with a cup of Jade tea.
Tracie shrugged out of her jacket, and hoped that her cozy corner would keep her safe from the harsh November winds. As she enjoyed her tea, she thought about her day. As she walked to the bookstore, she saw a poster up that said "tryouts; December 13th-22nd. RENT: The Musical!" She truly hadn't thought much of it until she saw the second poster. She decided to take one down, and keep it in her pocket. Tracie had always thought she could sing, and she knew she could act. It was what she was attending Juilliard for.
She pulled the pamphlet out, and debated on trying out for the musical. She then remembered buying "Wicked". She read the first section, and was hooked. She bookmarked her page with the flyer, and threw it in her backpack. She headed out to get home before the rainstorm they were promised today.
Once back in her dorm, she read a bit more, before she started her homework.
As she wrote her thesis paper about dance in popular culture, she couldn't stop thinking about RENT. She decided to do some research on it while she was in the computer lab. She learned that it is an Off-Broadway production, centered around the experiences of Jonathan Larson. She decided to try out for Joanne Jefferson.
She went to bed that night, wondering what song to sing. Then it dawned on her. "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine…"