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RENT: School Edition TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE ABOVE BY CLICKING BUY TICKETS! JULY 17-20th! 4 shows only! We are so appreciative of all the support we have received for RENT: School Edition. We are blessed to have such friends in the community and hope you join us in being pleased to have McCallum as a place where we can perform this award-winning musical about community and how a good group of friends can make it through any thing, good or bad. We received a letter from RENT creator Jonathan Larson's father Al We've been in the news a lot lately.
Austin Chronicle
Article about RENT NEWS 8 Austin Coverage of RENT Purpose: In order to create more of a community amongst students of fine arts programs around the district, the Fine Arts Academy faculty decided to create an opportunity for them to come together and produce a show. With the potential to have theatre, choral, instrumental and dance students from all schools involved, a unique environment of performer-learners will energize this show and get a chance to use and hone their skills even more. After our first year's successful production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum we were pleased to have the program picked up and sponsored by the district. The Fine Arts Academy's theatre director, M. Scott Tatum, and choral director, Malcolm Nelson, who founded the program are excited to see the return of the All City Musical to McCallum. Joining the program this year are musical director: Paul Pew (McCallum HS Math Teacher), director Nikki Staib (Bailey MS Theatre Director), and Brazie Adamez (McCallum Fine Arts Academy Dance Teacher). Description of Show: Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer-prize winning Broadway musical based loosely on Puccini's opera La Bohème. It follows a year in the lives of seven friends living the disappearing Bohemian lifestyle in New York's East Village. AIDS and both its physical and emotional complications pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom, and Angel; Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble; Benjamin has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends; and Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general, always behind the camera recording the events but never playing a part. This adaptation has been carefully done, working with the Larson
estate to retain the dramatic intent of the groundbreaking rock musical,
and consists of minimal changes to language and the removal of one song
(CONTACT) to make it possible for many schools to perform this piece.
The production team is dedicated to making
the musical appropriate for audiences 13 and over (the age of the
students in the production).
Dear Ms Reichman, Thank you for writing to tell us about what's happened with the high school production of RENT in Austin. In many ways it's a sad story, yet for me it's personally invigorating; one more reminder that virtually always "the glass is half full". It's certainly unfortunate that the School District withdrew the [support], but that says more about some members of that [district] than it does about the school system itself, or about the remarkable group who are going forward with the production of RENT. The show, of course, is about community as much as anything -- about individuals banding together with love and understanding. And you're all doing just that!!! Jonathan would have been so pleased to hear the story of your efforts. It sounds like everyone at McCallum School and the Royal Theatre Society, the "guest artists" from other Austin schools, the director(s) and coordinators, and all the other individuals (including parents) -- and certainly Mr. Garrison, the principal -- are doing so much to make the show a success against all odds. I've no doubt that it will be a success in classic theatre tradition: the show will go on! On behalf of the Larson family, please tell everyone involved how impressed we are. To the cast, the crew, and everyone associated with the production in any capacity, we send our love and best wishes. And our thanks for capturing the spirit of RENT so meaningfully and (without wishing to sound corny) so heroically. We wish you all a most successful production. For the Larson family, I am Al Larson -------------------------
Statement from the Austin School District
July 15, 2008
Respect for, and
appreciation of, the arts has long been a hallmark
of the Austin Independent School District.
This District is blessed with
many creative students, whose works contribute greatly to the strong
cultural fiber of Austin.
To provide a new
avenue of artistic expression for Austin students,
the School District had hoped to fund a districtwide stage production
this
summer. The goal was to
allow students from across Austin to come together
to produce and stage a high-caliber production.
When the musical Rent
was proposed, the theatre arts teachers
involved were informed back in May that the District could not support
the
choice as the inaugural, summer districtwide production, due to
content
considerations. While Rent
might be very well received by some campus
communities, others would obviously not accept it, or would have
significant concerns with it.
The McCallum
principal, theatre faculty and selected McCallum Fine
Arts students agreed to stage this week’s production of Rent, as a
campus
production, and involving a small number of students and faculty from
other
Austin schools. The
first-ever Texas high school production of Rent will
debut this Thursday evening with the support of the McCallum Fine Arts
program and the patrons whose support has helped make it one of the
most-recognized fine arts programs in the country. The production is
being
funded as any other campus-level theatre production would be.
While Rent deals with
controversial and complex issues, we know the
student actors and teacher-directors at McCallum will address these
subjects fairly and appropriately.
The Austin School
District wants to underwrite a summer theatre
program for students in 2009.
Accordingly, the District will establish
written guidelines for script and contract approval, necessary for any
properly managed districtwide event.
AISD will continue to promote
appropriate, quality arts experiences for all students.
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| 2008 All City Musical ~ |