RENT is a theatrical masterpiece that captures the struggles of a young group of artists experiencing poverty during the AIDS epidemic, unable to pay their rent. The musical explores themes of love, sexuality, and the strength of the rising LGBTQ community in a time of social inequality and heavy discrimination. Seven Hills was able to deliver an impressive and well-choreographed performance, accurately representing the theme of the play and successfully resonating with the audience.
The play was so successful because of many behind-the-scenes players. The play began with the main characters Roger Davis and Mark Cohen filming their surroundings on a high set made out of metal. The structure was a unique addition although it was stationary and other pieces had to be moved around it throughout the performance. Many emotional surroundings were captured on this set along with other unique moments in the play by capturing the relationship between Roger and Mimi along with Tom Collins and Angel Schunard.
Other factors that made the moment special on set included the light show and performance put on by the rest of Tech Theater to enhance the performance and resonate more with the audience. Senior Ian Rafalo speaks more about his experience with technical theater, his decision-making, and the preparation that went into the technical side of the play: “Any time you see any lights or scene changes, I’m in charge of that… Me and Trey convinced the people who gave us funding to let us rent a bunch of fancy lights. These lights can actuate, switch colors, rotate, and much more.” RENT showed an improvement in light quality and coordination from previous plays with different experiments in that field.
The guest artists performing during RENT also enhanced the play and brought a separate flavor to the Seven Hills Theater community. The guest artists helped give insight to a new level and experience of theater. Dee Anna Bryll, the guest stage director for RENT, addressed the uniqueness of the play and her preparation along with other stage directors and guest artists: “It was very special for me because I had the opportunity to really learn the show. I had seen productions but when you direct a show you really break it down- and it is a beautiful work. I love the themes of the show – the importance of community in your life as well as living and celebrating each day! Also I had the opportunity to work with Darnell, Ryan, Tre, and the amazing cast and production team. That certainly made it a special experience.” The guest director collaborated well with the entire theatre team while helping students understand the themes of the play.
As Bryll commented on, as the play progressed, more tense themes revolving around sexuality and social conflict arose. The theme of the play was constantly evolving, incorporating different styles of music and characters. Junior Vivian Brown, an actor and singer at The Seven Hills School, worked hard to prepare for her role, Joanne Jefferson, in order to convey those themes: “The style of singing that I had to do for this show was extremely unfamiliar to me, and I had a really hard time figuring out how to pull off the technique. By the time the show opened I was sick, which made it even harder, and I had to put a lot of work into covering that up…I spent a lot of time un-training myself so that I could focus less on the musicality and more on the character, which helped me to get a less polished sound.” Brown’s acting along with the rest of the characters was truly incredible in delivery. Although the themes were hard to process by myself, they were worthy of displaying and putting out to the school community.
All in all, although the play dealt with some difficult and touching themes, the set, tech crew, and delivery from the theater department itself made the play an enjoyable experience for the many who attended. It was a new experience for many Seven Hills students including the actors themselves as they had to deal with new lighting, new directing, and new character roles. All of this made the show more interesting to attend and promised a strong future for the theatre program ahead.
