MANSFIELD — Director Ryan Shealy said the Renaissance Theatre’s newest show aims to entertain and teach audiences about finding love in times of hardship.
“Rent,” written by Jonathan Larson in the 1990s, follows a group of young artists in New York City’s East Village during the AIDS epidemic. A 13-member cast is set to bring the Tony Award-winning musical to Mansfield audiences.
“The AIDS epidemic is a real hole in our history, but luckily, we have this beautiful piece of theater to tell us this story,” Shealy said. “It’s relevant because there’s still a stigma about HIV and AIDS, even though it is very manageable today.”
Shealy said the cast includes five visiting artists from outside of Ohio.
“We received more than 500 audition submissions for this show, and the cast we have is amazing,” he said.
“Rent is based on La Bohème by Puccini, so it is a very operatic story and it’s big and it’s dramatic. But really with the actors, we’ve all focused on doing justice to this story and to these characters.”
Characters Roger, Mimi, Collins, Angel, Maureen, Joanne and Mark feel the AIDS epidemic affect their work, emotions, relationships and lives.
Coco, who plays Tom Collins in the show, said it’s one of her dream roles. She was recently in a New York show, “Stage Mother,” with castmate Nolan Quintanilla.
“Nolan told me they were going to do Rent, and I said I would love to play Collins,” she said. “He’s a really important character and I did a lot of research for the role.”
The Columbus native said she researched AIDS symptoms to understand what Collins was experiencing.
“Shows like this are really important because it tells the stories of communities that are maybe different from your own,” Coco said. “It can teach people things, but it can be in a fun way. The show is heavy, but it can also bring people joy.”
Coco is making her Renaissance Theatre debut in the role of Collins. Kayla Pérez, from Bushwick, New York, is also making her Renaissance debut as Joanne.
“Joanne’s a very interesting character because she had some more opportunities afforded to her than other characters, but she sort of put that away to uplift her community,” Pérez said. “Rent is definitely a show that illustrates community, family and lifting each other up in hard times.”
AIDS Memorial Quilt displayed during show’s run
The Renaissance is partnering with the National AIDS Memorial to display part of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in the theater’s lobby for the duration of the show.
“We’ll have chairs around it if anyone wants to take their time to read the names or just sit with it,” Shealy said. “You sort of get to choose your own experience here, you can be as reflective as you want.”
The cast will also have a talkback after the matinee show on Oct. 8. The audience can hear from cast and crew members as well as representatives from Love on a Mission, the Mansfield Gay Pride Association and Equitas Health.
Richland Source solutions and engagement editor Brittany Schock, who is also an ensemble performer in Rent, will moderate the talkback.
Pérez said she hopes people walk out of the theater feeling curious and more willing to learn about LGBTQ history.
“Intersectionality is a huge part of this show,” she said. “Everyone is more than what they appear on the outside, or the diseases they carry. I hope people can walk away with more understanding and curiosity after watching.”
Audiences can purchase general admission on-stage or house seats for the show. Shealy said this creates the opportunity for people to watch from different perspectives.
“What I love about stage on stage is it creates an immediate sense of intimacy,” Shealy said. “You can see people’s faces and the happiness or pain they’re experiencing. And out in the house, you can sit back more and take it all in.”
Rent is the ninth show Shealy has directed for the Renaissance. Jacob Poiner is the show’s musical director and plays Roger Davis.
“Roger is a difficult character for me, because I can happily say I don’t have much to draw from,” Poiner said. “He’s a pretty traumatic character to play, but like any of us, he has his ups and downs.
“Rent is a dark show at times, but it does ultimately leave us with a message of hope that there’s no day but today and we can either wallow in our pain and sorrows or we can face it and try to make it better.”
Noah Casner plays Roger’s roommate and aspiring filmmaker Mark Cohen in the show. This is Casner’s third show at the Renaissance. Though the musical is 30 years old, Casner said it’s still relevant to today’s culture.
“So much has changed about how we perceive the queer community and HIV/AIDS, but at the same time, there are still some ideas that feel stunted or like they’re evening reverting in some ways,” he said.
“Certainly in the last few years with the COVID pandemic, I think there’s something we can relate to of losing people too young or too quickly even though it’s a different disease.”
Casner said he hopes audiences leave the show feeling hopeful.
“I think Rent shows us that we’re all humans looking for meaning,” he said. “You know, there’s 525,600 minutes in a year, so what are the things that you can find meaningful in that time frame?”
To buy tickets for Rent, go to rentickets.org or call the box office at 419-522-2726. Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6, 7, 13 and 14 and 2:30 p.m. Oct 8 and 15.
