When Jawan M. Jackson learned he had landed an ensemble role in “Motown: The Musical” on Broadway in December 2012, he knew he wanted to live in Harlem. Mr. Jackson, a Detroit native, had stayed with a friend there when he came to the city for his callback audition. “It immediately felt comfortable,” he said. “It felt safe.”

But arriving from Michigan, with less than a month to find a place before rehearsals started, Mr. Jackson didn’t have a lot of time to lock down an apartment. And as he soon discovered, figuring out how to navigate the Manhattan rental market was not unlike trying out for his first Broadway show.

“I didn’t know I’d have to dance,” said Mr. Jackson, a bass who has no trouble hitting a low C on command, but showed up for his New York audition 40 pounds heavier than he is now and wearing “Timberlands, baggy pants and a button-up shirt — pure Detroit.”

“Everyone else had on leotards or took their shirts off, and it was like abs and chests. I was so out of shape,” he said, adding that they had to send him off to work alone with the assistant choreographer for an hour to see if he was capable of picking up the steps.