Kent Resident Appears in ‘The Ides of March’

Kent resident Rohn Thomas appears in the Golden Globe nominated film, “The Ides of March,” starring George Clooney and Ryan Gosling, which was released Tuesday on DVD after its run in theaters that began Oct. 7.

“The Ides of March” follows an up-and-coming press secretary for a novel presidential candidate who finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens the campaign. Thomas plays the “stage manager” during a debate scene.

During his three-day shoot in May 2011 at Miami University in Oxford, Thomas worked directly with Clooney and Gosling.

“George (Clooney) was absolutely genuine and positive. You can sense how things are going with a shoot by the energy of the crew. (It was) very upbeat on this one,” said Thomas.

During a break in the green room, Thomas accidentally discovered an interesting irony – that part of the movie theoretically takes place at .

“Fun story … I noticed a computer screen with the Kent State logo on it. I asked if ‘The Ides of March’ was going to be filming at Kent State. (The production designer) told me, no, that although actual filming was taking place on the Michigan State campus, but that they were going to use the KSU logo and signage and refer to the university as Kent State, ” said Thomas.

Thomas has previously been cast in other popular movies including “The Mothman Prophecies” (2002) starring Richard Gere, “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994) starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman and “The Dark Half” (1993) starring Timothy Hutton.

Thomas is no stranger to live theatre, either. Most recently he appeared in Great Lakes Theater Festival’s production of “Taming of the Shrew.” He has also worked with the Cleveland Playhouse and Buffalo’s Studio Arena Theatre in New York.

Audiences may also recognize Thomas for his Porthouse Theatre performances as Smea in “Peter Pan,” Mayor Shin in “The Music Man” and Mooney in “Anything Goes.” Porthouse is located on the grounds of Blossom Music Center.

Thomas is a part-time faculty member at Kent State in the School of Theatre and Dance, where he teaches “Acting for the Camera” and also produces and directs short films.

He lives in Kent with his wife, – musical theater coordinator of the Kent State School of Theatre and Dance and artistic director of Porthouse Theatre – and their four children.