BRUNSWICK — For two nights only, Maine State Music Theatre will present a concert version of “Rent,” a landmark rock musical depicting the lives of young artists struggling to survive in New York City’s Lower East Side.

Performances will be at 8 p.m. on Sunday and Monday, June 20 and 21, at the theater on the Bowdoin College campus.

In “Rent,” the characters fight to keep their spirits up as they contend with the threat of their homes being demolished, crises of self-actualization, HIV/AIDS, drug addiction and living under the thumb of “the man.”

“Rent” won 18 major awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, four Tony Awards, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award, six Drama Desk Awards, three Obie Awards, and a Drama League Award. It was made into a movie in 2005.

It is also the ninth-longest running show on Broadway and has toured across the country, as well as abroad.

Jonathan Larson, composer, writer and lyricist of the show, won critical acclaim for the attention his work gives to the serious social issues of multiculturalism, addiction, homophobia and AIDS. During his early years, Larson lived in poverty in an apartment with no heat. He worked for 10 years as a waiter at the Moondance Diner in New York City, while writing his musical during his spare time.

The show filled with passionate songs, such as “Seasons of Love,” is based on incidents in Larson’s own life, as well as Giacomo Puccini’s opera “La Bohème.” Tragically, Larson died before seeing the Off-Broadway opening of his show.

“Rent” is a show that brings people together,” said MSMT Executive Director Steven Peterson.

The show’s cast is made up of both local actors and interns from across the country. This concert version will feature limited blocking and choreography, but will not be simply a staged reading of the show. Although the show is not a full production, he is going to treat it as if it were, said director Ray Dumont. “I want it to be the show that people remember.”

Kurt Alger, seasoned MSMT costume designer, and Emily Rose Goss, head of MSMT’s costume shop, have recently returned after working nine years with international and national tours, as well as Broadway productions of “Rent.”

For tickets, $17, $24 or $30, call 725-8769, log on to www.msmt.org or visit the box office at 22 Elm St.