[spencerlee]

I'm just throwing this out there. My Highschool it doing the student editon of Rent and I want to know how people react. Remember lyrics are changed things are taken out because it is being preformed in a highschool. ask questions or tell me what you think.

[The Very Angry Woman]

http://www.compulsivebowlers.org/boards/viewtopic.php?t=7434

[spencerlee]

We are doing it in Wisconsin I didn't know someone else did it. We got it rights from MTI. thats all. thanks though.

[ChorusKidx3]

I was trying to persuade my Theatre Teacher to do Rent and failed miserably. He like doesn't like to drop the F-BOMB...so Rent is Out.

[lilmissbroadway]

[spencerlee]

Well in this version...the language is out... the relastionships and drugs are still there but not like in the show or movie...La vie Boheme is a little different but not much. When we auditioned for the shows(we do about 10 or 11) they told us if we got a call back for Rent, and then we had to get a permission slip signed to even audition for it. Our community is really supportive of our theatre department. We are VERY lucky.

[blu486]

The director of our musicals at my high school said she didn't want to do the high school edition, it was either the real thing or nothing. So we can't do it. Plus, we rarely do operas.

[ilovebway]

I think my school could pull it off.

The only problem we'd have is getting the rights.

[Brock07]

My school would have an issue PAYING for the rights.

They like the cheaper stuff that's been out for 40 years.

[ChorusKidx3]

[actor]

[Brother Marvin Hinten, S.]

Correct. It's a rock opera.

[ChorusKidx3]

[spencerlee]

for the rights...as far as i know we were giving the rights by MTI, we also got the recording.

For those who don't know..
MTI=Musical Theatre International

and the recording gets sent out with the Student edition when the rights become available.. like we did for Aida and Sweeney Todd:Concet edition.

[Kiwi]

[Lepitot]

[spencerlee]

[pish123c]

[Kiwi]

I know! Goes to show how crazy the people that I live around are. Even some of the kids in the show...A couple kids refused to say "damn" in Six Months Out of Every Year, and either skipped it (as in "Those...Yankees") or said "dang" or something stupid like that. In general, although this is sort of off topic, if there are swear words in a script that you can't handle, don't be in the show. Taking them out is a violation of free artistry. Swearing is NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL to have in a script. It's not like they're asking you to have sex on stage. Besides that, IMO it's not the word itself, it's the meaning. So saying something like crap or darn or something like that is on the same plane as swearing, and if you're against swearing but use words like that it's hypocritical. Maybe that's just because I'm a blasphemous godless heathen. Wow, I'm babbling. Sorry for going off, but it felt good to rant.

[Samara]

They took out "Mucho masturbation" and made Joanne a guy named John

[spencerlee]

[LittleGavroche]

Anybody else read that whole thread, watch the video, and read the articles about that first school edition production?

Possibly the funniest thing I've seen in my life.

Now, I don't have any serious objections to high schools doing Rent, I can understand why some would want to, but... the sets, costumes, and such were all red, white, gray, and black. Maybe I'm the only one who saw the connection, but it looked like they were all East High Wildcats in High School Musical to me. None of them looked poor, or cold, or had any sort of suffering at all. Mimi was a blonde, white girl. Which I could deal with. But she played Maureen on the nights she didn't play Mimi. Why double cast if you're not going to give others oppourtunities?

I don't see how CamMack and the Larsons could have let this happen.
But at least we can laugh at it.

[spencerlee]

That school that did must have done it on their own. We got asked to do it from MTI in New York. I don't know if any other highschool did it and just changed things or it was just a test run. I know that this is the Rent: Student Edition. Just like Miss Siagon, Le Mis, and Sweeney.

[ChorusKidx3]

MY director found the Student Edition and rented the script. I don't think he was 2 immpressed.

[musikal_geek]

[spencerlee]

So I went and saw it last night.

It was AMAZING, everyone did really good.

Things they cut:
-A verse to Out tonight
-Mucho masturbation=mucho medication
-"To Leather to latex"
-the took little things out that most wouldn't notice unless you know the show.

If you ask question now I can better answer them.

[Kiwi]

leather to latex? Latex sounds more kinky than leather to me...Leather is just something you wear when you think you're the shit, latex points more toward sex with condoms and whatnot, in fact in Contact they say latex, and that song is sex. Did they change dildos? That's way more dirty than leather.

[spencerlee]

Oops sorry it went form "To leather to dildos.." chaged to "to leather to latex"...sorry for that confusion.

[bigballinick91]

I know they cut Contact, but did they do anything in it's place or just jump straight from the voice mail to the eulogies?

[spencerlee]

well kinda like the movie.

Angel dies during Without you and you see that...then...i couldn't tell you what came next it it was I'll cover you or something before...i was a wreck.

no matter how many times i see the show or watch the movie I cry everytime so i have no memory of what happeneed in between. Sorry going again so i'll look for that and write it down.

any other question before friday this week will be answered directly...right now i'm going off of memory but if i have the question i can watch for it...

[Bristian]

MTI has it on their website now, along with the Sweeney Todd: Student Version.

Kinda cool.

My director says he will actually think about doing Rent or Sweeney.

[Kiwi]

SWEENEY STUDENT VERSION!!!!!!!!!!! OMG my teacher was talking about how much he wanted to do Sweeney for his last show, but didn't want to have to cut stuff...I need to tell him about this!

[Bristian]

http://www.mtishows.com/show_home.asp?id=000330

There's the link if ya wanna go and see it youself.

[spencerlee]

We did Sweeney like 3 years ago...and we just did Sweeney Concert version...and Rent is finishing up!

[musictheatre00]

[Kiwi]

But school districts aren't concerned about the people who would enjoy and/or benefit from something, they're concerned about the people who will complain about them. You would be astounded at some of the things our drama department does that parents have taken to the district, pretending to consume alcohol on stage, for example

[Lepitot]

Well, parents can shut the **** up! We censor kids to god damn much these days! In elementary, little kids, unless someone in their family is gay, have NO clue about homosexuals. It's just not talked about. They completely ignore it. If we introduced homosexuality at a young age, it wouldn't be so taboo when they are older.

RENT is all about life. Joanne needs to be a lesbian. Angel better still be a man!!! If they changed it to a female for this, I'll be jacked. And the drugs, yes, it's not a happy little fairytale subject with bunnies and rainbows, but it's certainly not inappropriate.

Ugh.

STOP CENSORING KIDS!

I mean, I understand changing the f word and stuff. But, to change the characters? All it does is make people who are like the characters feel that they are wrong for being who they are. What a great message they are sending to their kids!!!

*rant over*

[spencerlee]

i agree that highschools shouldnt chop up a show that is wrong. i was upset at first but then when i saw it i was surprised i loved it...its about a message not drugs, not homosexuals, not the swear words. and the message of the show still go through.

And our highschool didnt chop it up and make it a student edition MTI offered it to us.

also... NONE of the charcters were changed(i don't know where people get that)....Angel was a guy dressed as a girl...Maureen and Joanne were both girls. but the only people that kissed were Mark & Maureen, Mimi & Rodger. the drugs were still there.