Under the direction of Amanda Wansa Morgan, the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies put on a great, dynamic performance of Jonathan Larson’s “Rent.”
Walking into the Stillwell Theater immediately immersed the audience in 1980s New York. Specific sounds were played in the theater before the performance started, like rock music, cars passing by and horns honking.
“Rent” is a story about a group of artists living in New York struggling to make ends meet during the height of HIV/AIDS. The set was extremely raw, real and dynamic, down to the dirt, rocks, crumbled-up paper and fallen leaves on the ends of the stage to the graffitied wooden boards. The musicians were also onstage, which gave more grit to the scenery.
The students acting in the show were actually in their twenties, so their characters were more believable. Having actors the same age as their characters truly made this musical. Every character in the show had a unique story and audiences could feel the intense emotions they were displaying to them. Everyone down to the ensemble fully embodied their characters.
A lot of preparation went into this show, from behind the scenes to the actors onstage. Jude Hilton, who played one of the main characters Mark, had a great experience playing him. To fully understand his role as the pseudo-narrator of the show, he prepared for his role by researching the historical and social context of the show.
The set of “Rent” had the same background throughout the show but it felt like it was molded and melded like Play-Doh. There were many moving parts to the set as props and pieces were moved to transform the stage into a bar, funeral home, apartment and more. It was prevalent that the backstage crew put a lot of work into the lighting, sound, props and all else.
“My experience as show crew on this show was full of learning and growing together as a group. This was my first time doing run crew on a musical so it was more difficult, but I had the best support for it and I couldn’t have asked for a better cast and crew to work with,” show crew member Jada Crowell said. Her favorite part about her experience was being able to look from behind the curtains at the actors as they sang their big numbers.
The acting skills of the students were top-tier. Every person onstage had strong acting and singing skills down to the ensemble.
Brooke Fleurimond said that being a part of the ensemble gave them the freedom to create their character from scratch and come up with their own storyline. “I never felt like I was treated as less than important because as the ensemble, it’s our job to help create the world in which “Rent” resides. This experience helped expand my creativity.”
“Rent” handles subjects like HIV/AIDS and the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community. The TheatreKSU dramaturgs did a great job of having posters with more information about those things. In the theater, there were pieces ofthe AIDS Memorial Quilts. People from the organization Free Mom Hugswere there offering hugs, support, stickers and candy.
The Department of Theatre and Performance Studies always puts on exceptional programs, but “Rent” was just phenomenal. It has been the best show I have seen so far since I have been a student here.
