THEATER:Calling all Rentheads for video contest

Devotees of the musical “Rent,” affectionately known as “Rentheads,” are locked in competition for what would be a Renthead’s dream — to share some stage time with the cast during a performance.

The Orange County Performing Arts Center, which is bringing “Rent” back April 24, is inviting amateur singers to enter its “I’ll Cover You” online video contest, which runs through April 10. The winner will appear with the cast at the April 25 performance, while show tickets and merchandise are among the prizes for the runners-up.

To enter, contestants must create a short video of one of the songs from the musical and upload it to YouTube at and e-mail the link to the video to contest@ocpac.org . The five best performances will be posted on the center’s MySpace page at www.myspace.com/ocpac .

Then it’s up to you — the public — to choose the best video. Votes will be accepted from April 11 to April 20, and the winner with all of the results will be announced April 23 on MySpace.

Submissions, which must be under three minutes, must include the contestant’s name, address and telephone number along with a link to the video. Participants must be 18 or older and only one performance per entrant will be allowed. Don’t even think about being “inappropriate” or “offensive,” even though the show itself might turn off some more conservative viewers.

“Rent” is ticketed for an abbreviated engagement April 25-29 in the Center’s Segerstrom Hall. It’s a modern-day version of the opera “La Bohème” set in New York City’s East Village. Tickets may be reserved by calling the Center at (714) 556-2787.

A pair of local marquees light up this weekend as the Newport Theater Arts Center lifts the curtain on a revival of William Inge’s “Bus Stop” and Vanguard University shows you “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

“Bus Stop,” Inge’s 1955 follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning “Picnic,” focuses on a snowbound restaurant and some colorful passengers. Moviegoers may remember Marilyn Monroe and Don Murray as the round-heeled singer and the rambunctious cowboy.

Directed by Phyllis Gitlin, “Bus Stop” will be presented at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and at 2:30 p.m. Sundays until April 29 at 2401 Cliff Drive, Newport Beach. Call (949) 631-0288 for ticket information.

Back in 1962, the Pulitzer Prize for drama, as well as multiple Tony awards, went to “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” the satirical musical about a window washer’s ascent on the corporate ladder.

Vanguard University will present this golden oldie for three weekends, beginning tonight and running through April 15 in its Lyceum Theater, 55 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Tickets may be reserved by calling the box office at (714) 668-6145.