[WhoaItsJonathan]

Hello. I am going to be a freshman in high school this year, and one of my goals in life was to do "Les Misérables" and I just finished a wonderful run of that yesterday, and now my goal is to do "Rent." I really want to do "Rent: School Edition" at my school in spring 2011. We have a fall play and a spring musical and we have already decided on "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" so it would have to be for 2011. I really want to read the script myself and to show it to my drama teacher so it could be in consideration for 2011. I also want to peruse a few other shows too.

By the way, does anyone know what happened to Avenue Q: School Edition? I heard it was scrapped.

[High-baritonne]

Rent school edition is a mockery on many of the principals Jonathan Larson stood for! He wrote the musical for a reason, he wanted to get a message out about equality. He wanted to open our eyes. Putting up a school production of it as it's currently written, should make you feel ashamed of yourself.

Harsh words, but important.

Wait until you're older and can do Rent as it was written, or persuade your drama teacher to put in everything from the original script. Including references to drug, bad words, homosexual kissing and mentioning of AIDS.

[The Very Angry Woman]

[WhoaItsJonathan]

I know that Rent: School Edition is censorship and is probably not what Jonathan Larson stood for and I do feel bad for it. I am a huge Rent fan. I've seen the show three times, although one time was the school edition. It's of course censored, but that's probably the only way my school could ever do it.

[High-baritonne]

Then I would suggest you wait and pray for another opportunity to play in a production of Rent. Seriously, any other thing would be shameful.

[The Very Angry Woman]

[Brother Marvin Hinten, S.]

Or how about not stifling the creativity of young people? It's not like the changes are a wholesale slaughter of the show, and the principles for which Jonathan and the show stood are still fully contained within the "Student Edition" material as it stands. In fact there is at least one moment that I think vastly improves on the original line it replaced for various reasons.

The "Student Edition" was created to turn younger people onto Rent and inspire them to discover the full version and think about the issues discussed therein, maybe develop new opinions of things they thought were cut and dried before. It's not impossible to do the same while doing the "Student Edition" as well. It's not like doing the "Student Edition" cuts them off from ever looking at the piece again with new eyes, especially if offered the opportunity in the future to do the full version.

The only people who should be ashamed of themselves are the people who prevent Jonathan's message from spreading by any means at its disposal by telling kids to feel bad about presenting what they consider to be an emasculated version of his message. No one should be made to feel bad that they are spreading a message about living in the moment and not denying emotion, for any reason, least of all one's personal feelings about "student editions" of shows with adult content and themes.

[High-baritonne]

But why censor things? Why should not 14 year olds hear about sexuality, drugs, AIDS, swears, and sex? It is healthy for teenagers to grasp the more exciting and darker sides of life. It is irresponsible to hide these things for teenagers. Most teenagers, often my self included, have a very black and white look on life, mostly because we are painted such images by adults who believe they know what is the best for us. I as a teenager can assure you that most of the decisions made to prevent us from themes such as sex, etc. are bad ones.

[Brother Marvin Hinten, S.]

It doesn't hide them! Mimi's still on drugs (which are covered even more so now in the Student Edition thanks to the occasional change to "mucho medication"), the people with AIDS most definitely still have AIDS, sexuality and sex are implied in a rather obvious fashion, and about the only thing not covered are swears, which an educational environment prefers not to deal with.

Also, some of the changes don't even concern plot or line material, but changes in key for voices still not mature enough to handle the more strenuous material, and cutting the more complicated parts of the score that even professional companies have had trouble with before. You gonna begrudge that of teen voices?

[High-baritonne]

No of course not, it seems that I've misunderstood the changes made to the school edition. From what I've been told they've cut out most of the sexuality, sex, aids and drug references, but I may be wrong.

[Brother Marvin Hinten, S.]

I'll repost Tom's list of the changes made for the "Student Edition" below (slightly reformatted, for better reading, with some additions made based on knowledge of other optional changes). All references to bar and measure numbers refer to the original RENT score. Libretto changes are based on comparing the MTI School Edition libretto to the Applause Books published paperback version of the original libretto.

[Vichysois]

I see some merit in introducing kids to the material and the desire not to get in trouble for depicting the less PC stuff, but I just feel all the chopping is detrimental to the show.

Not to mention that kids shouldn't be doing the show. It's a question of worldly maturity. Just like Les Mis School edition...16 year olds playing people in great suffering, finding redemption, dying for a cause? Most teenagers comparatively don't know jack. Especially not kids in the United States attending high schools with enough funding to have theatre programs.

Also like Miley Cyrus singing about uphill battles...'cause we all know she's had some serious trials in her life...of wealth....*cough*

[Damask and Dark]

[ActingDude17]

Schools don't HAVE to do the school edition...the full show is available for licensing now.

[sylvesterm11]

[emilyp]

[TylerMcMahon]

As a member of a very gritty and very spectacular production of RENT right now I think the changes to the show are stupid.

Keep it how it is!!!!