Sandra W. Lee, U.S. Army veteran of the Iraq war, plays Mrs. Cohen and others in the Ivoryton Playhouse production of Rent. She talks about how theater can bring people together and make them feel connected, and how Rent, with its themes of community, love and compassion, reflects that potential.
After Sandra W. Lee completed her tour of duty in Iraq, where she sustained an injury, she said that she now tries to tie her roles back to her experience there. She describes Rent as having a level of complexity and emotion that she wouldn’t have been able to portray with her time in the service. Loosely based on Puccini’s La Boheme, the musical is set in Manhattan’s East Village and follows a group of friends struggling to build the lives of their dreams. Pennilessness, drug abuse, HIV/AIDS and other hardships challenge the friends physically and emotionally. Along the way the find what really matters in life. Rent won the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical and the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Don’t miss this exuberant, passionate and joyous production.
Our thanks to Outthink for producing yet another great video for us!