Owings Mills High School performs 'Rent'

After three years without a school musical, Owings Mills High School is set to perform "Rent" for the first time Feb. 21-22.

Co-directors Michael Steel and Jordan Cox are both third year teachers at Owings Mills High School. Steel said he felt the time was right for them to take charge and return musicals to the school.

"Owings Mills had not had a musical in a number of seasons, and we wanted something that was going to be a bold statement, for us to say 'Hey, we're back,'" Steel said. "This year, Owings Mills' theme has been being big and being bold, so we wanted something to really encompass that and would speak to the problems of the community."

Cox said the return of the musicals is part of a wider plan to encourage participation in school activities.

"We have a new principal this year, and we're trying to find something to rally around, something we can build school pride on," Cox said. "Lately we've been lacking that pride. We've been building on it though, and things like this, chances for the students to get involved, are what help make that happen."

As their choice for the first show, Cox said she and Steel decided on "Rent" for its thematic relevance to school culture.

"'Rent' is a show a lot of people can get on board with as far as themes go," Cox said. "It pushes the bar as far as comfort level in a good way, that opens people's eyes and gets them excited."

"Rent," by Jonathan Larson, depicts the lives of artists living in New York City during the height of the AIDS epidemic. Cox said their production will be slightly edited for content from the Broadway original.

"We're doing the school version, so there are definitely some edits, but at the same time, it's still 'Rent,'" Cox said. "It's still covering the same themes - HIV/AIDS, homosexual relationships, death, it definitely broaches topics that people are not used to seeing in a high school setting."

Steel said these controversial themes are one of the draws of performing the musical with a young cast.

"I think it's important to have conversations not only with our kids, but with those in charge of the welfare of our kids about these various issues," Steel said. "The truth of the matter is that AIDS and HIV is a very big epidemic in Baltimore; drug use is an issue in Baltimore that we deal with in our community, and I think it's important for our kids to see a positive message about how being safe can positively impact our community."

Though she said other schools have had issues with performing "Rent," in the past, Cox said the community has been very supportive of the show.

"I assume we will hear some complaints, but I have not heard a peep of negativity about this," Cox said. "People are so supportive. The PTSA is on board, the boosters are right behind us and this is exactly what we need to make a show like this work."

Steel said he hopes the show will spark conversations among the school's population.

"There have been a couple of students who have questioned it just because these are issues they've not dealt with, but it's definitely not hostile," Steel said. "I think it's a very positive step forward for the school."

Nate Fields, a freshman student playing Thomas Collins, said he is excited to be a part of the show, and has no qualms with the more controversial content.

"I am the lover of Angel who is a cross-dresser. We both have AIDS and we're fighting through it together," Fields said. "I had seen the movie a hundred times, I've always been interested in doing musicals, and I've always wanted to do 'Rent' as a musical, so when they announced it, I was like, 'I want Collins, that's final.'"

Cox said Act I of "Rent" is the second longest act on Broadway, so it can be difficult for the student actors to get through. The high school version of the show is cut for time, but Cox said it will run about three hours on opening night.

"We spent our entire budget on the rights to the show; it's an expensive show just to get the scripts to, so almost everything that you see, we found somewhere or we re-purposed," Cox said. "We don't have thousands of dollars to put on a show that looks like it cost thousands of dollars. Everything we're doing is salvaged, but it's working out. I think it will look great."