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| Chris Chávez |
by Gil Benbrook
For nearly three decades, Rent has remained one of the most influential and emotionally resonating musicals in contemporary theater. With its unforgettable score, groundbreaking LGBTQ+ representation, and unflinching portrayal of artists struggling with love, loss, identity, and survival during the height of the AIDS crisis, Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical continues to connect with audiences across generations.
Bringing a new production of Rent to the stage requires balancing the musical’s iconic status with the challenge of making it feel immediate and relevant for modern audiences, particularly younger performers and theatergoers who did not experience the era in which the story is set. For Mesa Encotre Theatre's upcoming production, that runs May 15-31, that responsibility falls to director Chris Chávez, whose background spans both plays and musicals, giving him experience in handling emotionally driven storytelling as well as the large-scale energy and movement that Rent demands.
In between rehearsals, Chávez sat down to answer some questions about Rent, including how the musical continues to resonate after 30 years, how younger cast members have responded to the material, and the ways this production seeks to honor the musical’s legacy while still finding fresh perspective within it.
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| The Cast of Mesa Encore Theatre's production of Rent in rehearsal photo courtesy Mesa Encore Theatre |
Rent has been connecting with audiences for decades. What do you think continues to make its story and themes resonate today?
Chris Chávez: "I believe audiences have been connecting with this piece of theatre for years because, for many, it was/is the first time seeing authentic people on stage in a world that also reflects the real world we/they live in. And as artists, every bit of the starving-artist aesthetic, marginalization, and struggle are very real and easy to connect with."
The musical explores issues like community, loss, love, and resilience. Which of these themes feels most urgent or relevant for audiences right now?
"I have a strong belief that in times of uncertainty and perceived darkness that it is community that will save us. That is why this show is so utterly important right now. This show is about love and loss, but at its core it is about your community, your found family, those who accept you for who you are and through it all: love, life, and death, they are there, they are the ones that save you."
For younger cast members and audience members who may not have been born or didn't live through the time period depicted, what have you done to help make the social and historical context feel immediate and meaningful?
"When being contracted to direct this show, I approached my vision with a sense of bridging 1989/90 with 2026. Finding the commonalities of the social issues in the show and making a correlation/connection with the social issues of today. We are still dealing with the marginalization of people of color, addiction, homelessness and yes AIDS. The stigma as it relates to HIV/AIDS may not be as overt as it was 30 years ago, but it is still prevalent. So to see the same issues depicted on stage in 2026 automatically makes that context feel immediate and meaningful."
I have to imagine that many of your cast members were not alive when Rent premiered 30 years ago. What has it been like guiding actors who know the show but are still discovering the realities behind its themes?
"You are correct in that most of these actors were not even alive at the time that this show came out, much less when the issues depicted were occurring. I was able to provide a lot of personal insight and reflections as a Queer man myself growing up during the beginning of the AIDS crisis. Also, I previously directed Angels In America: Millennium Approaches at Fountain Hills Theatre in which I had to do a lot of research around the same material (AIDS/NYC/1980s) which proved to be both insightful and helpful in directing RENT. Additionally, for RENT I did a lot of research specific to the artists and events that occurred in The East Village at the time the show takes place. I was able to provide my cast with a lot of personal knowledge as well as information I found along the way that I provided them to read/watch/listen to outside of rehearsal. I feel this has really helped the actors gain a better perspective of the characters they are portraying."
How have those younger performers brought their own perspectives to the material in ways that might differ from earlier productions people have seen?
"When working with actors I always feel it is necessary that they bring a part of themselves to the material in order to make a connection and make the work feel more personal. One way I have really noticed this is in the way these actors sing the material. The way Musical Theatre actors sang 30 years ago is very different from the vocal talents we have today, so with that we as working artists also have to advance and adjust. I find it very refreshing that my music director, Elise Stoffer, has allowed the actors the vocal freedom to bring a new and refreshing sound to the same material."
What is your experience with the show and how have you brought that perspective and knowledge to this production?
"My experience with this show goes back many years. I was first introduced to it when I picked up the double-CD from a store in the mall (I’m aging myself). The following year I saw one of the first national tours in Texas and was absolutely blown away. It was fresh, it was invigorating, it was loud, everything that the Megamusicals of the 80’s weren’t. For me it was love at first sight. Since then I have seen probably 20 or more productions. The thing is many (not all) productions try to recreate the magic that happened on stage 30 years ago with the same set, staging, et. al. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but because of this I have tried as best I can to not be a carbon copy of everything I have seen previously. I suppose it will be up to the audience to come and decided if that shows."
What conversations have come up in the rehearsal room around the themes in the show and the period it takes place, along with the musical's portrayal of friendship, chosen family, and artistic expression?
"Since day one of rehearsal we have had conversations on the themes and the time period of RENT. One thing that I think was surprising to a lot of actors (especially younger) is how similar the social issues are in relation to 2026. In this show we touch on issues of gentrification, the rising cost of housing, homelessness, addiction, terminal illness, all which are still very much prevalent today. That being said, it was not just the sadder themes that are important but how friendship, chosen family, and living life as who you truly are get you through those rougher times."
At this stage in time, Rent is now a period piece with the stigma of HIV, which at the time the musical premiered was a terminal disease,now considered to be a manageable chronic condition due to advancements in modern medicine. It's also a beloved, classic musical with many well-known songs. What have you done with this production in approaching the iconic music, characters, themes, and staging while still making it feel fresh and specific to your cast and the current time period?
"One word I used with my production team was “gritty.” I often felt that Rent can be put on like a traditional musical which can be shiny and polished. I think with Rent a lot of the seedy grit from The East Village was missing. The set will be exposed platforms in which all the props and furniture comes from almost acting like a repurposing of trash. While that set will be littered with political and AIDS related posters that, although period, could easily relate to the current time. In one scene a few actors have protest signs that have statements of the time that are still relevant today. "
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| The Cast of Mesa Encore Theatre's production of Rent in rehearsal photo courtesy Mesa Encore Theatre |
What can you tell us about the significance of your PRIDE night performance and what it means for your production to celebrate and support the local LGBTQ+ community?
"Rent is one of the first mainstream musicals that had Queer characters of color as part of the central story. Additionally, when it premiered New York was still in the middle of the AIDS crisis. Those two attributes alone attracted many members of the LGBTQ+ to the show. I believe what helped RENT attain a Queer following is the show’s depiction of genuine, unconditional, Queer love and also its portrayal of community, the found family many of us had to create in order to remain safe, and alive. As these ideas are central I thought it important to have a Pride Night in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. With Pride Night we will have three organizations from the local LGBTQ+ community sponsoring the night in which they will have information tables in the lobby and will also speak briefly at curtain time. RENT is and will always be a story that will be cemented in LGBTQ+ history."
When audiences leave MET's production of Rent, what do you hope they carry with them about the show’s message and its continued importance?
"With this show I really hope that audiences are able to take the time to think about the issues portrayed on stage and how they continue to affect the community. I hope that people can conclude that protesting, resisting, and standing up are not acts of solidarity but only work when we come together and make change together. AIDS, although a chronic illness was considered a death sentence in the 1980’s. Today people with HIV/AIDS can live out a long and healthy lives with minimal complications. Many of the drugs and interventions available would not have happened were it not for many in the LGBTQ+ community. In the end, it is community that saves us.:"
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