By: Taylor Christensen | Royal Oak Review | Published September 12, 2024
ROYAL OAK — The Stagecrafters Main Stage is preparing for its production of “Rent,” the iconic 1996 musical that showcases the importance of acceptance among peers.
“Rent” will be performed from Sept. 13 to Oct. 6 at The Baldwin Theatre on the Main Stage at 415 S. Lafayette Ave. in Royal Oak.
Taking place in 1996 New York City, “Rent” follows the lives of a group of people for a year who are living under the shadow of HIV and AIDS. The characters go through several struggles, both as a group and individually. As the show continues, the group goes through a journey of acceptance, learning and forgiveness.
The cast and crew of “Rent” at Stagecrafters had to experience their own turmoil after the unexpected death of 36-year-old Justin Alesna on Aug. 18.
Alesna was preparing to play the role of Angel, a character who has a big role in the story of “Rent.”
“It has been a really emotional time for us, but this has been a huge part of the transformation of our cast,” Director Emilie Florkowski said. “There was an instant connection between the cast, and it just felt like a big family. With Justin passing, it felt like we lost a family member.”
Florkowski said that the loss of Alesna was one that took a toll on everyone in the Stagecrafters community, and beyond.
“If you Google him, or look him up on Facebook, you would be amazed at the amount of people that knew him, he was a big dancer, and he was active in so many different communities,” she said. “The spread of his friendship was amazing. He would light up the room, and he would brighten everyone’s day. He was a breath of fresh air.”
Alesna’s death did not stop the show, according to Florkowski. Instead, it fueled the creative nature of the cast members, who worked even harder in Alesna’s memory.
“I’ve enjoyed the experience, aside from the tragedy, immensely — the excitement that they (the cast) bring to rehearsal as they research their characters and bring ideas,” she said. “It has really been awesome.”
One of the members of the cast, Andrew Martin, is particularly excited to play Roger Davis, a struggling musician who is HIV positive. The character plays a huge role in the production.
This will be Martin’s first time performing with Stagecrafters, and the first time he is performing in a theater production in around 20 years.
“I was in theater when I was in high school, but I graduated in 2005, and it just kind of took a back seat for me,” he said. “So the last couple years I was in bands and all of that stuff and enjoyed the performing aspect of things, but never had the opportunity (to go back to theater).”
Martin said that “Rent” is what influenced him to audition.
“Ultimately, what did bring me back to performing in the theater was this production of ‘Rent.’ It was a big part of what my theater crew did when we were in high school,” he said. “It was a very prominent musical at the time.”
Playing Roger Davis had been a dream of Martin’s, who said that he can relate easily to the character’s quirks and characteristics.
“I was in some rock bands in and out of high school. Roger is the rocker of the show, and he is often a misunderstood individual and a lot of his characteristics resonate with me,” Martin said. “He is a little bit of a rigid character, and I felt like I could really bring that out of me to play this part. There are a lot of parallels between myself and Roger.”
Both Martin and Florkowski said that they hope people can go and see “Rent” and leave feeling a little bit more accepting of others.
“The show really encompasses individual authenticity and finding out who you are as a person, or finding yourself in your own little journey,” Martin said. “With the music and the story behind it, it’s a show about allowing yourself to feel, which is something we are almost programmed not to do in today’s society.”
Tickets and more information on the production of “Rent” can be found at stagecrafters.org.