Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
In many ways I bet they feel as if their real life is now imitating RENT. A group of young people who feel absolutely BESIEGED and misunderstood, which is fueling a kind of self-righteousness that is unbearable in real life (and in this thread and accounts of this incident) but which can be invigorating in a fictional story with rock music.
But, you know, BENNY BAILS THEM OUT IN THE END. (Whoops, spoiler.)
I do think they would be better served if their teacher had sad, "My mistake, the ending is restored," rather than enable the young peoples' misdirected anger. To be honest, I never read my cellphone contract before I signed it.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
Jordan,...it's all yours.
relish
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/150394-University-Production-of-Rent-Stirs-Controversy-With-Altered-Script
Featured Actor Joined: 9/13/08
He was around then. That's when he wrote it. He was alive when he wrote the show.
What? Really?
I wish RENT would be so I could have Roger waking up and finding Mimi in the shower.
Mimi: Good morning, sleepyhead!
Roger: This place has a working shower??
It was all a dream!?!
What if Elaine didn’t get on the bus with Benjamin?
Well, since Ben didn't get there until after she was married she'd remain married and in 20 years seduce the son of a friend.
No...they were told they had to perform the ending as written or don't perform at all. (And if they didn't comply, there would have been bigger issues.)
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/13/09
I don't know how I missed this until today, but I just read the entire thread, and I think that director has no business being around students. She is dishonest and manipulative, pompous and pretentious, and she went on teaching her students terrible lessons even after the fact. If they graduate from Towson and model their behavior on hers, they will never act with integrity and face lifetimes of error, defensiveness, finger-pointing and failure.
She should be fired, not so much for her error in changing a copyrighted work--there was a teaching moment there--but for the way she conducted herself AFTER that error was exposed. Her employment should be terminated and her involvement with students ended.
On the other hand, the lighting designer/department head acted with complete integrity. Any student facing a difficult situation in the future could say to herself or himself, "How would Mr. Herzog handle this" and be inspired to do the right thing.
Drew Cohen from MTI also acted beautifully. I hope the students have come to realize that MTI is protecting the rights of the artist, not the rights of "corporations and lawyers." It was despicable of her to attempt to hide behind that.
Videos