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Director Cheyne Mitchell said every year the school entered into an extensive production process where a creative team would bring show ideas to the table and pick the one best suited for the year and the times.

This year, it was Jonathan Larson's Rent that won out.

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"Rent has been something that we've all talked about doing for years as a team, and this year seems like the perfect time," he said.

"The whole show kind of takes place set against the backdrop of the HIV pandemic of the late '80s and early '90s.

"Rent deals with some more serious themes than perhaps we've dealt with in recent years, but we just have such an extraordinary group of young adults who are ready to take on some pretty serious topics."

Mr Mitchell said the opportunity to sing some of the most iconic songs of the past 20 years in musical theatre was too good to pass up for the students.

"We also have jumped on the back of ... Tick, Tick, Boom!, which is the life story of Jonathan Larson - the incredible composer of Rent who tragically passed away just before the show, his great success, opened on Broadway," he said.

"[Our performance] feels like a bit of a love letter to Larson in some ways."

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Auditioning and rehearsing for productions in a world where performers have to live with COVID-19 has changed the way that process looks.

Launceston College is utilising outdoor spaces, such as Royal Park, to rehearse, making sure social distancing is abided by and students are as safe as possible.

"We're working towards a full scale Princess Theatre production that everybody's come to expect from the college," Mr Mitchell said.

This year's student cohort is bigger than previous years, with 144 students enrolled in the production unit. However, some of the students will work backstage and in other areas of production, not directly on stage.

Friday marked the first day of the audition process for the production, which will run for two weeks. Then the cast will be announced to the students and public.

Rent will be performed from August 10-13 on the Princess Theatre stage.

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