April 27 – 30, 2017
Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent School Edition is about falling in love, finding your voice, and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, it has become a pop-cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.
Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Rent School Edition follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom, and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves, and conflicts provide the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical that will be performed inside the beautiful Batavia Fine Arts Centre.
This production is rated PG-13 – Note: The term, “School Edition”, only mildly eliminates content from the Broadway production. The term refers to adjusting the vocal score as to not harm the high school voice.
Reunion of the RENT cast during the Covid-19 pandemic.
