Franklin Stage Company Closes 2021 Season With Rent Control by Evan Zes

Franklin Stage Company will close its 2021 season with New York actor Evan Zes’ solo show Rent Control August 27–29 outdoors on the lawn at Chapel Hall in Franklin, NY. An alternate rain space will be used inside Chapel Hall, if needed.

In this award-winning comedy, a struggling actor lucks into one of the few remaining rent-controlled apartments in NYC, and finds a way to survive the city and pursue his acting dreams by turning the apartment into a lucrative Airbnb enterprise – that is, until, his money making scheme backfires and he falls prey to a world of internet scam artists and low-level gangsters. Zes portrays 25 characters in this wild-but-true cautionary tale of greed and redemption. “We’ve loved this show since we first saw it,” said FSC’s Co-Artistic Director Patricia Buckley. “Evan Zes takes the audience on a hilarious journey,” added Co-Artistic Director Leslie Noble.

The show is based on Zes’ experience coming to NYC to be an actor. “Living in New York City is hard,” says Zes. “Being an actor is really hard. Making a living as an actor living in New York City is next to impossible. This is the story of how I managed to do that for 15 years.

Rent Control had back-to-back sold out runs beginning with its debut at the 2016 New York International Fringe Festival and following with the 2016 Fringe Encore Series where it won “Best Solo Show” as well as the “Overall Excellence” award. It’s since been performed at Hartford Stage, Cleveland Playhouse, Westport Country Playhouse, Penguin Repertory Theatre, Centenary Stage, Mile Square Theatre, The Rye Arts Center, The Complex Theatre in Hollywood, The Tabard Theatre in San Jose California, Teatro Jaco in Jaco Costa Rica, and Teatro Elliniko in Athens, Greece.

Showtimes are Friday and Saturday, August 27 & 28 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, August 29 at 5:00 pm. Admission is free–suggested donation is $20 per person. Seating is limited and reservations are strongly recommended. To reserve and for more information: www.franklinstagecompany.org or 607-829-3700.

Programming at the Franklin Stage Company is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. 

Franklin Stage Company will close its 2021 season with Rent Control, a solo show by New York actor Evan Zes.