I was totally blown away . These kids were amazing and Ms. Oliver and Kimberly I for one cannot express how wonderful this play was and how it touched so many so deeply, we all could not stop praising you two and these kids and wiping tears . . . Amazing job and I would love to see it again .
Thursday, March 23, 2017
“In these dangerous times, where it seems the world is
ripping apart at the seams, we can all learn how to survive … and (we)
should reach out to each other and bond as a community, rather than hide
from the terrors of life …” — Jonathon Larson, composer/lyricist/book writer of “Rent”
A
year ago, Pioneer Valley Regional School student Annalise Holesovsky
of Leverett looked at her cast mates from “Grease” and had a vision.
Recently exposed to the music and storyline of “Rent,” she saw her
theater friends easily slipping into the characters of this Tony
Award-winning musical.
“I just thought so many of us will be
seniors and this would give us a chance to really get behind the
messages of ‘Rent’ in a way that we were not able to with ‘Grease.’ I
felt like Pioneer was ready for it, and the students were ready for it.”
Gaining supportWhile
the students were ready for it, some administrators needed time and
feedback from the larger community to embrace the musical, because the
storyline and songs feature characters’ dealing with AIDS, sexuality,
drug addiction, LGBTQ issues and death in raw and realistic ways.
Michael Duprey, acting principal at the time, and then new
Superintendent Ruth Miller were unsure whether it was the right time to
perform a potentially controversial musical. Initially, they were
reluctant to support it.
Undeterred, Holesovsky and Dominic Lewis
wrote a two-page email to Miller explaining why they wanted to do the
musical, and encouraged her to check out some musical clips from the
Broadway production and the 2005 film.
Miller requested a
meeting with Holesovsky, Lewis and Elizabeth “Bizzy” Sweeney. She shared
her concerns about the relevancy of the musical to the community, and
wondered whether it would allow for younger students to be involved.
Miller
also was worried that this musical might not excite a large enough
audience to come and see it, but the three students explained why its
inherent messages of inclusivity and acceptance were important. They
said that they believed students would be capable of understanding and
valuing the messages in the musical and the community would be
interested in seeing it.
Swayed by the students’ thoughtful
presentation, and willing to explore the proposal further, Miller asked
them to survey the faculty. Holesovsky, Lewis and Sweeney presented the
idea to all the teachers at a faculty meeting and through an anonymously
written ballot process, were met with unanimous support.
Newly
hired in late spring of 2016, PVRS Principal Jean Bacon was also wholly
supportive and encouraged the idea of creating an educational component
to the performances so that all students would benefit.
Desiring
even more confirmation of support, Miller asked that parents of
students be surveyed. With Bacon’s encouragement, Holesovsky sent out a
letter to the community, along with a survey to see how they felt about
this production, and 87 percent responded positively.
In late
fall, students were told all hurdles had been cleared and the high
school version of “Rent” could be performed in the spring..
Holesovsky said she had not realized that “it would be such a huge undertaking and how long it would take to make it happen.”
The
musical is infrequently performed in high schools because of the
storyline and lyrics. The high school version of “Rent” is not
dramatically different from the original, except that some music and an
explicit scene are cut to shorten the length.
The work the three
seniors did to ensure PVRS could perform the school version of “Rent”
demonstrates how controversial and provocative the material still is
for people today, despite the two decades that have passed since the
musical’s debut on Broadway.
High school theater departments
across the country have cancelled plans to perform “Rent” due to strong
opposition from administrators, staff and the community.
Understanding
why PVRS students wanted to perform the musical, and gaining the
support of students, faculty and the community was paramount to gaining
administrative support.
Mandy Oliver and Kimberly Rose,
co-directors of the production, are very proud of the initiative and
work done by the students to have the show supported at all levels.
“We
felt that while we were excited to take on the challenge of this show,
and knew that we had the talent to make it happen, we knew that it could
only happen if we had full support” said Oliver. “The students, in
particular Annalise, worked very hard to make this musical happen.”
“Rent”On
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Pioneer Valley Regional School will
perform “Rent.” The show, based on Puccini’s opera, “La Boheme,”
features the lives of a group of young friends, artists and addicts
living in the East Village neighborhood in New York City, in the shadow
of AIDS and on the edge of poverty in the early 1990s.
The well-
known story behind the musical includes the tragic death of the
35-year-old composer and librettist, Jonathon Larson, who died of an
aortic aneurysm on the night of the final dress rehearsal two months
before “Rent” debuted on Broadway on April 16, 1996. Larson had worked
on the show for seven years and based many of the characters on his
friends, the story lines on his own experiences, and the stripped-down
set on his apartment and neighborhood. He had wanted to create his
generation’s “Hair” and get the MTV generation — or those who loved rock
music — into the theater.
“Rent,” for its two local high school
directors, was a musical that has held significant meaning, so to
direct it this year has been a dream come true.
Rose was able to
see it for the first time during its 12- year-long run on Broadway in
1998 and, “it shifted her view of the world.”
Oliver’s mother
wouldn’t let her see it initially because of the subject matter, but in
2001, when she was a student at the Berklee College of Music, she saw it
in New York and has since seen it five or six times, and in 2010, she
had the opportunity to play Joanne in the Ja’Duke production.
“The
show has the power to change, open your heart and look at the world
differently,” Oliver said. “It will help you to be more empathic. I feel
‘Rent’ represents who we are as people and teachers. Its messages are
what we try to promote in our work with students, like kindness,
inclusivity, caring for each other and the idea of carpe diem.”
In
an effort to help the cast fully understand the history and culture of
the early 1990s, a time when the AIDS crisis was constantly in the news,
death rates were high and homophobia was rampant, Oliver and Rose had
students watch documentaries, news clips and even invited professionals
to come in to talk about addiction and drug abuse.
These
educational sessions allowed opportunities for students to express
their feelings, concerns and thoughts about the different topics and get
some questions answered.
Emma Worth, a junior from Northfield
who will be playing Angel, a drag queen who is often the voice of wisdom
in the musical, said that the chance to explore AIDS, LGBTQ issues and,
in particular for her, the stigmatization of addiction, all resonated
with her.
“In the first month of rehearsals, I felt some division
amongst the cast, which disappeared once we started exploring these
issues,” she said. “I feel like the chance to talk about subjects that
might not have been talked about before helped the cast connect. You
never know what kinds of experiences people have had in their past and
this allowed for that kind of sharing.”
Casting this musical
presented some challenges for Oliver and Rose. In December, 38 students
auditioned, including 12 seniors. “Rent” has eight lead roles, with a
half-dozen smaller parts and an ensemble.
The directors had worked with many of the students before, so were familiar with their talents.
To
include everyone, the directors double cast the leads and offered two
casts. With two casts, a matinee time was added to the performances,
allowing both casts a chance to perform twice.
“We knew that we had the talent to pull this off and the two casts allows for all to shine” said Oliver.
Casting required thoughtful direction, including helping to make some of the younger students be comfortable.
“We
knew we needed the older students to play the leads” said Rose.
However, one lead, freshman Destiny Pezzuto, cast as “Mimi,” was
significantly younger than the others and had limited acting experience.
Holesovsky, who also plays Mimi, helps Pezzuto through some of the tougher scenes to make her feel more comfortable.
The directors said that happened a lot while rehearsing.
There
was one scene with the “junkies” following the drug dealers, and the
students thought the scene was supposed to be funny — which it wasn’t,
directors said.
Other scenes, which involved cast members
kissing each other, were also handled with directness and the
opportunity to move quickly past the awkwardness.
“We worked on
those scenes right away, before anything else, so everyone could get
used to it, and with just those actors so there would be no build up and
some privacy” said Rose.
The musical, which is almost entirely sung — like an opera — is especially challenging.
Eighteen-year-old
Colby Johnson from Northfield, who plays Joanne and has been in many
PVRS productions, says that “listening to other cast members sing with
such excellence has inspired me to hit notes that I didn’t think I could
hit before.”
Emma Langston, a senior from Orange and one of the two Maureens, says having another actor play her role has been influential.
“I
can see Bizzy’s (Sweeney plays the other Maureen) energy and how she
moves, and that influences what I do in a positive way. I feel like
every part of me that is usually concealed can come out in this show,”
Langston said.
DaShawn Sadri of Northfield, who plays Collins, is new to a PVRS musical.
“I
was uncomfortable at first, but now I know the music — it’s really
fun,” Sadri said. “Sometimes my voice doesn’t go where it needs to go,
but I hope it will by the time we perform.”
He also likes his
character because he said “Collins is optimistic,” and he and “Angel”
(played by Worth and Maddy Tyson) “keep people together” in the
storyline.
“The energy is different with two different casts, and having to change with different people can be awkward,” he said.
Oliver is responsible for the music and singing, while Rose focuses on the acting and stage blocking.
Jasper
Tobey, a senior, as well as an experienced dancer, is the
choreographer. Sets were borrowed from Ja’Duke, while costumes were
ordered on line. Langston’s stepfather, Larry Anderson, will help out
with the lights.
Rose and Oliver said they feel sentimental
about this production, especially as so many in the cast are seniors and
they’ve worked with the older students for many years and in many
productions.
“They are a very passionate and talented group and
we are very proud of them,” Rose said. “We couldn’t have asked for a
better cast for ‘Rent.’ The show itself is giving them a sensation of
being older and bigger than themselves, and a taste of autonomy of what
they might feel in the future. It also is a way to truly celebrate their
talents.”
“This musical is about accepting others, seizing the moments we are given and expressing love to others,” Oliver said.
Miller,
despite being “nervous,” initially, about the material, has watched
some recent rehearsals with Bacon and said she thinks the student “are
phenomenal.” She said she now believes that “Rent’s” messages might
resonate more than ever.
“In today’s current political climate, we probably need these messages promoted more — that we need to
be accepting of all people and this attitude is important to support.”
“I
have never seen so much passion and energy before in one of our
musicals,” said Sweeney. “It is so powerful and uplifting to be part of
something that is uniting
people. At the end of the day,
anything you might be struggling with (it, life) might be OK if you are
with people you love. That is what I have gotten from being in ‘Rent.’”
Holesovsky said she is thrilled with how the vision
has come together.
“I
know I am going to be feeling a bunch of different emotions, and I need
to appreciate those moments,” she said. “I want it to be really good so
that the audience will really understand what it has meant to us to be
able to do it.”
“Rent” will be performed at 7 p.m. on Thursday,
March 23, and Friday, March 24, as well as at 2 and 7 p.m. on Saturday,
March 25. Tickets are $12, students and seniors $8. Call 413-498-2931,
ext. 500, to reserve tickets. Pioneer Valley Regional School is located
at 97 F. Sumner Turner Road, Northfield.
