playbill vip

March 31, 2022

I want to start by thanking all of the parents and businesses who have supported us this year through ADS and donations.  We are a completely self funded program and would cease to exist without your support.  I want to particularly thank our OFFICIAL show sponsor, GAYLORD PHYSICAL THERAPY. They are new to Madison and reached out to us to offer sponsorship. You can continue to support our program by frequenting the advertisers you see in our program.  And make sure to tell them you saw their ad in our program. You will help insure the continued support of the businesses who care about your children and the programs their school offer!

Jonathan Larson’s "RENT" is a show that has been both adored and shunned, sometimes in the same breath by the same person. Theatre professionals are united in recognizing the play as a game-changer in the American Musical Theater. Some attribute the overwhelming success of RENT to the untimely death of its young composer the night before it's Broadway debut. Although Larson didn't live to see the astounding success of his creation, RENT went on to inspire a generation of young theatre-goers who knew nothing of its creator or his tragic story.

‘RENT’ was way ahead of its time — and is still relevant 25+ years later. Inspired by Puccini's opera “La Bohème,” “RENT” also resonates with anyone who's struggling with life, love and their discontents. The characters in RENT grapple with a pandemic (that sentenced it's victims to racism, stigma and discrimination), addiction, eviction, gender identity, materialism, and parents.  With all of this to deal with, each character in RENT, and most of us here today, still strive to leave a meaningful legacy.

This has been a favorite musical of mine (and our entire creative team) for some time. Once the “school version” was available, we waited for the right time to bring "RENT" to the Daniel Hand stage. After this past period of isolation, disconnection, and loss due to the pandemic, we felt our students and our audiences could relate to the trial and tribulations of RENT. We are greatful for being allowed to return to our stage and have a live audience. We are greatful for all of you who have joined us to hear this story. Open your hearts as we bring you on a jouney about the impact of loss and the need to be in community, to stand for what you believe in, to be able to create and love in a world free from the restrictions of the status quo, and to accept the differences in those who surround you without judgement.

As Larson taught us in “Seasons of Love,” we could measure time “in daylights, in sunsets / In midnights, in cups of coffee / In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.” But above all, we should “measure in love.”

I believe I speak for the entire cast/crew/pit when I say, “It is our sincere hope that you will LOVE this show as much as we do.”

Joy Grabow

Artistic Director DHHS RENT