Seasons of Fear

Thirteen years after its opening on Broadway, the musical Rent continues to provoke controversy. Now the issue is whether it is appropriate for it to be produced as real life high school musicals. A slightly toned down version of the show is being offered to schools. Across the country, drama departments are taking advantage of the offer, but a few principals and parent groups don't want their kids doing a show about AIDS, gay relationships, and difficult problems that might make some audiences uncomfortable.

Rent was the seventh longest running show in Broadway history, a Pulitzer Prize winner for drama, and a Tony winner as best musical. The opportunity for students attending high school in 2009 to experience a play that captures a time not very long ago would seem to be an ideal learning experience. This story of recent cultural history and the evolution of the AIDS pandemic should be studied by high school students. Rent's own website says it may not be appropriate for children under 13, but very few high school kids are that young.

Good art is often controversial. Arts education--including high school drama productions--should include explorations of controversy. During my many years of covering news I was often struck by the fear and ignorance of those who wanted to ban books or limit access to material that some might find offensive. Many times the outrage was based on a lack of understanding or simply not wanting to deal with topics that made them uneasy. Certainly, there are limits. But those limits should apply to libelous falsehoods, flagrant and malicious disregard of the truth, and deliberate provocations of hatred. Rent is none of these.

Ultimately, communities make choices. Rent is a play that should not be banned from high school drama departments. For some students it may be life changing. My own daughter wrote a college application essay about seeing Rent and learning about life outside her own experience; it touched her deeply. She has since gone on to work on Broadway, as a theatrical publicist. How many other young people might be inspired by such a highly acclaimed contemporary musical?