On Oct. 3, Connecticut College’s student run theater program Wig and Candle brought Jonathan Larson’s acclaimed play Rent to the stage in an ambitious and highly memorable benefit concert.
The production, which packed all of Harkness Chapel within a matter of minutes, had just four weeks to prepare the rock-operetta show. Despite its limited rehearsal schedule, the performance did not disappoint in its adventurous pursuit. It immediately captivated both diehard fans and newbies alike. Directed by senior Madison Winey and accompanied by Musical Director Andrew Marco ’14, the production featured an excellent music ensemble, which was pit alongside both an impressive and diverse cast.
For those who are not familiar with Rent, the show is set in the mid 1990s, at the height of the United States AIDS Epidemic. “It’s the story of friends living a bohemian life—a life with no money and little opportunity—where people were really struggling to make ends meet,” said director Madison Winey ’14. “It’s all about them trying to live, love and understand why their lives are so important in this era in New York, when it seemed like there was so little to live for.”
Every year, Wig and Candle has made it one of their central goals to hold a fundraiser or event that supports Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA). Rent immediately presented itself as the perfect opportunity to raise awareness and financial support for this highly successful non-profit organization. “AIDS is a backbone of the plot of Rent, so it’s important to raise awareness through the show and be able to give back to such an important cause,” said Winey.
Since its founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over 250 million dollars to provide care and treatment for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. However, the organization is no longer restricted to solely AIDS related causes. Its mission statement has expanded to provide assistance for all individuals in need. The charity has reached out to natural disaster victims, as well as multiple women’s organizations. It also frequently collaborates with other foundations to improve the quality of life for individuals fighting illnesses.
Although Wig and Candle’s production of Rent was held for free, its commitment to fundraising was consistently apparent throughout the show. Throughout the intermission and conclusion of the show, the cast and crew could be spotted scouring the audience sporting rainbow plastic hats to collect donations for the cause. After audience members donated, many cast members expressed their gratitude by serenading the generous donors. In the spirit of the Broadway born organization, each individual was celebrated for his or her commitment to AIDS research and treatment.
The mission statement of Wig and Candle’s production certainly extends beyond just fundraising.
“I think it’s important for college students to remember that we don’t live in a bubble, and that events of the world and outside of the community do affect us,” said Winey. “We aren’t immune to our own lives changing in a second and we forget that we don’t have superpowers. The show is difficult to watch at points and I think that experience is truly good for the soul.
“I also understand that there are a lot of people in the Connecticut College community who do not know about HIV/AIDS and its history. I love that theater gives people the opportunity to learn about things that are so far away from them, which they may not have been exposed to otherwise.”
Although the discussion of HIV/AIDS is certainly not an easy one, Rent presents these topics in a manner that is both accessible and entertaining. The disease is primarily portrayed through the core six characters of the play, all of whom are wrestling with HIV-positive test results. This poses both an opportunity and challenge in casting the production, as it demands skill and distinction within every cast member.
As Winey described, “The characters themselves are complex and oftentimes caricatures of certain people who live in New York. We wanted a cast that was diverse both in ethnicity and in class year. When students cast shows, they often cast their friends, which is something we wanted to stray from. The characters are incredibly eclectic, which was something we wanted to portray though the cast here at Conn College.”
The concert-style production of the show functioned specifically as a unique casting opportunity for the talented musicians throughout campus. “I think doing shows like this, especially through Wig and Candle, gives students who sing but have never acted before the opportunity to perform onstage,” said Winey. “It was our goal to fuse these two departments and give people the chance to have experiences they would not have been given otherwise.”
A highlight of the production was the incredible dance and vocal performance of “Today 4 U” by senior Dance major Miles Keeney. Powerful ballads including the reprise of “I’ll Cover You,” sung by Hallie Grossman ’16, also lit up the chapel stage, as well as the stunning vocals of first-year Katie Soricelli in “Without You.” One also can’t go without mentioning director Madison Winey’s personal favorite, “What You Own,” performed by two of the cast’s passionate Rent fans Trevor Bates ’18 and Steve Cofrancesco ’17.
“These two performers know the play by heart and have been wanting to perform it all their lives,” said Winey. “It’s been incredibly awesome working with them and watching them grow.”
For those new to Rent, the concert-performance proved to be a perfect taste of the production’s incredible music. “It was really well done, entertaining and energetic,” said musician and audience member Haley Gowland ’17. “For my first experience with Rent, it was a pretty awesome one.”
The performance certainly set an impressive bar for future Wig and Candle productions and was a memorable and exciting evening for both audience and cast members alike.•
