Adults don't like the adult themes of "Rent"

Bad for this teacher to back down from the fight- but good for this teacher for fighting back afterwards and choosing this show to beging with! I find it crazy that people can be so closeted from a) a good show and b) a show that will challenge high school students. Its a fun loving show none the less that graced Broadway for over 10 years- who cares if it had homosexuality in it! Thats not what the story revolves around ANYWAY! Its about living your life to the fullest and never taking anything for grantite and in my opinion the homosexual characters are the most developed and fun loving! (not just because I'm bisexual haha) I agree with Spring Awakening beinging inappropreite- because it has graphics in it that are not suited for any high school.

 But this is why I beleive the great Jonothan Larson wrote such a wonderful show before he passed: to open the eyes of the world and make them realize what truely is important and the subjects everyone is just wasting their breath on instead of realizing whats not such a big deal.

Okay- end of my rant :)

peace and love *swack*

I was recently in a production of Rent over the summer. It was not through a high school, but it was done by a youth theatre company at a local high school. Mind you, I live in a community that is more towards the conservative side. I thought that the gay themes might cause an issue for some of the audience members. On the contrary, the turn out was absolutely phenomenal and the positive feedback was beyond belief. So many people were touched by the production. I even recall a lesbian couple who were in the front row holding hands the entire time and a woman crying, being the first to stand at curtain call. The best part of doing a show like Rent in a high school is to get kids to see past the differences between the characters and focus on the general theme of love. The show is not about gay straight black and white. It's about friendship, community, accepting death, finding hope, and living for the day. These concepts are things that younger people should be getting into. It's not going to hurt them. Parents who have an issue with the gay characters need to get over it, frankly. That is so far from the focus of the show.

My school was considering doing Rent for the musical this year!! (We do like 4 shows every year because we're an arts school). BLAH, they were like 90% sure about it, but then since it's still a pretty recent musical our teachers decided to do something else :(. I know a lot of the musical theatre program kids were super excited about doing Rent. Whatever, this just means it's probably going to be done next year.  :D

I think there wouldn't have been a problem if we did it, the high school edition is pretty school appropriate. Well I guess there's the whole "guy in drag" thing but we have a skit with that every year in our Christmas show and that's seriously one of the greatest skits -it's a skit people expect to see.  The fact that Rent has a gay theme to it that much of a biggie either (it's common knowledge that my school is uhh really liberal :P) so it wouldn't really be super shocking to all the people (we actaully get quite a lot of adults, seniors and middle school kids who want to audtion for our performing arts program the following year coming to watch)  who usually buy out our shows.

Haha one our drama teachers said we're probably one of the few schools who could tastefully pull off a successful skit with someone in drag.  

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I saw a production of Rent put on by a youth theatre company (not a school) and they did a wonderful job. I went twice. First time with my mother an younger brother (who I had to keep elbowing because he wanted to sing a long). Second time with a friend who had never seen Rent before--I sat her down in the seat that the girl playing Mimi climbed up on. Angel was played by a girl though so I took the liberty of explaining to the people behind my that Angel was usually played by a guy. 

I had been in drama class with the guy playing Mark and the girl playing Mimi. I had not seen either of them since the were about 11 and 13 years old--which made it quite funny at parts. 

my friend's school (west orange high in new jersey) is doing rent, and he says it's pretty edited, but they haven't opened yet so i don't really know. he wants me to come with him to see it, but part of me doesn't want to because rent is my all-time favorite broadway show and i don't want a possibly crappy high school production to taint its amazingness.

my school did bye bye birdie, which is not really explicit at all. a bunch of us suggested rent, but didn't push it after we thought more about it and realized we don't have the right people for certain roles and some really talented people would have ended up with minimal parts. though i know that our director wanted to do urinetown but the school wouldn't let him, so there's probably no way we could have done rent.

My high school is doing the school edition of Rent for our spring musical, and as far as I know, it's as close to the real thig as they were allowed to do.  I haven't seen it yet, but I know a lot of people who are in it and they said that its pretty close.  The only thing that I thought was a little annoying was that the homosexual couples are only allowed to hold hands, but the straight couples can kiss and stuff.  and everyone that auditioned had to sign something saying that they knew that there were gay characters, and that they were ok with playing one if they were chosen for that part.

  I don't really think there were any problems with parents or anything either. My school is very diverse in every way, and people very rarely get made fun of for their race or ethnicity or being gay. we aren't a normal high school at all.

I was in high school and 14 when I first saw and fell in love with RENT.  So, I guess it did make me gay--score 1 for the conservatives.  However, I find it very ironic that the queer content in RENT is objectionable, and yet no one has a problem with how gay High School Musical is.

I love Rent. While it's true there are adults themes - serious drug problems, fatal diseases, harrowing deaths, break-ups etc, they're dealt with in a pretty good way, I think. Drug abuse is shown as destructive, horrible, and wrong, and so on. Is it really any worse than Fantine's fall into prostitution in Les Mis? That's a pretty adult subject for kids to tackle too, but they've managed it - my school did it when I was twelve years old - though I only had a minor part in the ensemble! Sweet Charity shows prostitution in an almost casual light, and that's considered at my musical theatre society "one of the classics". Contact, yes, is too sexual for children to sing, but the rest seems fine to me.

The only thing I wonder about, is finding young voices that are mature enough to handle the rock-y, strong singing necessary. It's very easy to damage your voice singing rock, if you're not used to it. If they manage that, though, I can't think why it should be an issue.

Read this thread at AE:

http://www.afterellen.com/node/45445

And then wonder if teenagers are not ready for this.

The high school in Texas, Rowlett High School, is literally right down the street from my house. They originally ok'ed the play after having a meeting with all the parents and getting them to sign release forms. The local news reported that apparently the parents didn't really realize what they were signing and the play was eventually canceled. But then some company put up funds for it and the play is now being put on by the same high school but on the campus of Southern Methodist University.  

I wanted to leave a proper comment, but right now all I seem to be able to do is stare at that picture with Idina Menzel. Damn, this woman is just amazing. :)

I love Rent, though. Wish high schools in my country would do this type of productions.

RENT is a great show, and I hope they get to do it. It always frusturates me how teens never get to do any good musicals because of the potential controversy. I live in a small, conservative town, and our last two musicals were Footloose and Fame. Skeevy race issues and homophobia ahoy!

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"The state does not belong in the bedrooms of the nation"- Pierre Trudeau

When I heard this story break I personally did not feel that the show's rejection was an attack on the LGBT community. Though such themes may have been and underlying cause for the decision I feel that the sexual nature of "Rent" is a bit too much for high school, watered down or not (we're talking themes here, not just language in songs).

Now I know that high school students know a lot more about sex than we give them credit for, but I don't feel that it needs to be sanctioned by the school. Children begin highschool at age 14. Call me a prude but at that age I knew little to nothing about sex and was quite happy that way. I was also active in the arts and, if this were my high school, I almost definately would have gotten involved with the play. I could see a parent of a similar child being outraged that "Rent" was the only option for their kid to get involved with and I can't say I blame them.

Of course I feel that LGBT issues need to be included in public schools (and the theatre is a great place to start ;) I just don't think this was the right choice and we shouldn't take it too personally.

Rent is my favorite musical. And personally, I don't think it's that explicit (well, except for that one song). It should'nt be condemned for portraying LGBT and drug issues, especially when it's such an inspiring show.

A few years ago my school had a production of Trainspotting, which included a lot of sex and drugs, and nobody objected to it and they all thought it was great, and this year they're doing Equus and some play about a jewish guy in nazi Germany who decides to become a nazi officer, then discovers he's gay, then realizes he wants to be a woman, and then kills himself. (supposedly, it's a comedy) And again, no one objected. 

Disclaimer: I am an actress and a theater nerd.

Honestly, one of my concerns about Rent being performed in high schools is that I just don't think most high school kids have lived long enough to really understand some of the characters and situations. I know I didn't when I was that age. Part of the soul of the show comes from the performers. That's not to say that high school kids can't act, but there's something off to me about a show called "Rent" being performed by people who have never paid it. XD

I also feel like HIV is a delicate issue that really needs to be understood. I was in a production recently that, while it is not Rent, addresses similar issues. In the cast was a boy who had lost his friend to HIV and a girl whose father was HIV positive. The depths of emotion they reached in their performances were something that never could've happened if they had not had that personal life experience.

I guess I just feel that, all sexuality aside, Rent needs to be performed by people who have lived a little more life than your typical high schooler.

I rented out the film recently but it was awful (especially the songs. my friend who is a fully-fledged musical prodigy couldnt stand watching it after the 1st song when they were in the streets dancing away). So I can't really comment because after about 30 minutes it was just blah.

However, I don't necesarily agree with showing adult-themed shows at school because it depends on what the rating is and what the story is about. For example, if it were a cinema you shouldn't really take a kid under 15 to see an R rated movie. Certain themes need to be handled more delicately for younger audiences.

I went to see a performance of "Hair" at Berkeley High School about a year ago and everybody loved it.

All the parents were oh so proud to see their teenagers singing songs about drugs, free love, and the joys of interracial sex. And stripping down to their underwear in one scene.

This included my landlady whose then 18 y.o. son was part of the cast. She could not have been prouder. But that's Berkeley for you, lol.

Is amazing. I really wish my school would do it, and a lot of the drama students are actually proposing it, though we're in the Bible-belt, and we're not entirely sure how that'll work. Though, the Drama teach is pretty leniant in what she'll pick if she gets enough student and faculty support. Sadly, if they ever do decide to do it, I'll be long graduated so I won't be able to work up my nerves to try out for it. =P

Anyways, I think it's an amazing show that will keep teenagers entertained, and really connect them with issues and thing. Though, our school is not all that homo-phobic as we have a fairly high gay population in comparison. [Out anyways] xD But yeah, I think it's a good thing that it's traveling to schools, and I hope it makes it here, since I never got to see the live stage-version before it retired. =3 Thought the movie was amazing though, and I loved the Original Broadway-soundtrack. =D

Yes, Rent is a fantastic musical. Avenue Q? Also great. Equus ... brilliant play. Yet I don't think high schools are rushing out to produce them. Just because a piece of writing is intelligent and moving, does not mean that it should become a part of a high school/youth theatre season. 

I do think, however, it depends on the community that encompasses the audience. If Harvey Milk High School does Rent in their theatre season, that's a big success for them. The audience will appreciate it, the kids will appreciate it - it's a win for everyone. Now, if Washington High in Somewhereville, Kansas puts on Rent, knowing that they serve a mainly white, straight, conservative community, there could be some serious issues - not just for the high school or the community, but for the kids themselves. How would anyone like to be in the middle of "I'll cover You" and have the audience rolling with laughter at the two "homos" ... or in the middle of "Take Me or Leave Me" receiving cat calls.

The basis for my argument comes from having just adjudicated a HS Theatre Festival this weekend. It wasn't a competition, but the schools each had 20 minutes to do scenes, monologues, exerpts from plays, and I wrote comments as to my professional opinion, areas they could work to improve, etc. The last category was Literary Effectiveness, or, is this material suitable for this level? One school's scene was from Tony Kushner's Angels in America: Millenium Approaches (another fantastic play) - the scene between Joe Pitt and his wife Harper, where she takes most of the scene to finally ask, "Are you a homo?" The audience couldn't handle it. Laughing, cat calls, boo's, you name it - it was being thrown at these two kids, who were trying their best at a deeply tragic scene. It was not, in fact, an appropriate scene to do, and I found myself fairly angry with the drama teacher of this particular school for the humiliation she ignorantly served to two students who didn't deserve it, and from the look on their faces, didn't expect the reactions that they received.

Is this true for all environments and schools? Of course not. But part of producing any kind of theatre is knowing the audience whom you're trying to serve.

Someone above me posted that in one production Angel was played by a girl. As another argument altogether, how does THAT serve the play?? Angel as a drag queen with AIDS, (and his consequent death) is a major theme in RENT.  In changing that, you change the whole story of the musical, in which case, why do it? Who is it serving? What are you trying to acheive??

It's not a question of whether or not the kids can handle the material. Of course they can. Teenagers can handle much more than most give them credit for. It's a question of whether the audience is ready and willing to see it. I think that teachers who do not ask these questions should stop being theatre teachers entirely. 

We did Rent my senior year of high school, in 2003. We had a lot of talent and it turned out to be an amazing production for a high school play. We did not have to edit anything. However, after the production is when the controversy hit. Parents were not happy after seeing it. They almost fired the head of the drama department. In the end he was able to keep his job, though he was gone only a year later. I do not think the material is too adult for high school. Why is it that parents live in this denial, their kids are doing very adult things in high school. And it is not like there is anything tasteless in Rent. I hate to break it to you parents out there, but your kids are seeing and doing much worse than this. 

I would also like to add that I think HIV/ AIDS is an important issue in high school. It is an issue that is relevant to teenagers, who no mattter how much you like or dislike it, for the most part are sexually active.

"Life... is like a grapefruit. It's orange and squishy, and has a few pips in it, and some folks have half a one for breakfast." Douglas Adams

Well I've just joined a stellar cast of all teens (18 and under). We'll be performing the show in June, as part of a all teenage production company (everyone is 18 and under, director, stage manager, musical director) and we're assembled outside of school. A local High held the auditions and we'll be doing it on a professional stage.

 People I've spoken to about it are a little taken aback, but I think it'll be a great success. I hope it'll show people that this show is a tour de force and should be reckoned with. I think its especially handy at showing up anti-homosexuals and homophobes alike.

I would have loved to have seen rent in one of my high schools productions. I am so tired of grease! They did chorus Line once...

I have to point out... They usually ship middle school students to the high (for a field trip) to see the school shows. The year that chorus line in production I was in middle school. They wouldn't let us see it because it was too gay. However, a year later we allowed to see grease. How sexed up is grease!? I mean, seriously... its okay to expose kids to the crazy that is grease, but not a chorus line. Bull. *sigh* 

I am what I am. Love me or hate me. Just consider me.

I would have loved to have seen rent in one of my high schools productions. I am so tired of grease! They did chorus Line once...

I have to point out... They usually ship middle school students to the high (for a field trip) to see the school shows. The year that chorus line in production I was in middle school. They wouldn't let us see it because it was too gay. However, a year later we allowed to see grease. How sexed up is grease!? I mean, seriously... its okay to expose kids to the crazy that is grease, but not a chorus line. Bull. *sigh* 

I am what I am. Love me or hate me. Just consider me.