{"id":218761,"date":"2025-07-16T15:27:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T01:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=218761"},"modified":"2025-07-16T15:27:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T01:27:58","slug":"rent-heads-to-kauai-cc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/07\/16\/rent-heads-to-kauai-cc\/","title":{"rendered":"东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s acclaimed RENT heads to Kaua\u02bbi stage"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\"several<\/p>\n

The University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa\u2019s Department of Theatre & Dance<\/a> is taking its celebrated production of RENT <\/em>to Kauaʻi<\/span>. Following a sold-out run at Kennedy Theatre earlier this year, the Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical will be performed at Kauaʻi<\/span> Community College\u2019s Performing Arts Center<\/a>, August 8–10.<\/p>\n

\"rent<\/p>\n

Directed by Joshua “Baba” Tavares, an assistant professor of acting at 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa and former cast member in the 20th Anniversary National Tour of RENT<\/em>, the production was praised for its raw emotional power, dynamic staging and local resonance.<\/p>\n

“We are so excited to take our show to Kauaʻi<\/span> and connect with our Kauaʻi<\/span> ʻohana<\/span> in this way,” said Tavares.<\/p>\n

The touring team includes more than 40 cast and crew members, including 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa students, faculty, staff, musicians and technicians, representing a wide range of 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa programs, including theatre and dance, psychology, music, law, cinematic arts, Hawaiian language and more.<\/p>\n

As part of the visit, the team will offer a free acting workshop to share and engage Kauaʻi<\/span>\u2019s community of storytellers and artists. The workshop will take place on Saturday, August 9—more information to come. <\/p>\n

Related 东精影业 News<\/em> story: No day but today: 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa theatre and dance brings award-winning RENT<\/em> to life<\/a>, February 11, 2025<\/span><\/p>\n

The 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa production earned critical acclaim in March, with BroadwayWorld <\/em>calling it “a soaring and heartfelt production” blending “aloha, heartbreak, queer joy\u2026and unbridled energy of young people united for justice and love.”<\/p>\n

Tavares emphasized the show\u2019s continued relevance. “Even though the show is set in a specific time, its challenges feel just as relevant today, especially here in Hawaiʻi<\/span>. Homelessness, gentrification, mental health struggles and finding a way forward after a devastating disease—are we talking about the \u201980s and \u201990s, or are we talking about today?”<\/p>\n

He added, “RENT<\/em> isn\u2019t just about struggle—it\u2019s about hope, tolerance, human rights and above all, aloha. It\u2019s about love.”<\/p>\n

\"RENT
RENT<\/em> performance at Kennedy Theatre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Kauaʻi<\/span> performances mark the production\u2019s first appearance outside of O\u02bbahu, offering new audiences a chance to experience one of the most impactful works in modern musical theatre, through a uniquely ʻohana<\/span> lens. <\/p>\n

Performances will take place at the newly reopened<\/a> Kauaʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr> Performing Arts Center, which reopened in April 2024 after closing due to the pandemic and has major upgrades to its lighting, sound and backstage systems. The venue is once again a key cultural hub under new manager Gregory von Hausch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Loosely inspired by Puccini\u2019s La Boh\u00e8me<\/em>, RENT<\/em> follows a group of struggling young artists in 1990s New York City navigating love, loss, identity, and survival during the height of the HIV\/AIDS<\/abbr> crisis. Since its 1996 Broadway debut, Jonathan Larson\u2019s groundbreaking musical has become a global cultural phenomenon.<\/p>\n

Performance and ticket information<\/h2>\n

Performance dates<\/strong>: August 8\u201310, 2025
\nTime<\/strong>: 7–9 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 1:30–3:30 p.m. Sunday
\nLocation<\/strong>: Kauaʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr> Performing Arts Center
\nTickets<\/strong>: Prices range from $15–$60. Purchase tickets online<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For general inquiries, email greg3512@hawaii.edu<\/a>.edu or call (808) 245-8352.<\/p>\n

Support and sponsorship opportunities <\/h2>\n

This partnership between 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa and Kauaʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr> aims to build a lasting bridge through the performing arts. Financial support is welcome to offset travel and production costs. To support the tour or inquire about sponsorships, contact Joshua Tavares at tavares8@hawaii.edu<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical will be performed at the newly reopened Kauaʻi<\/span>Community College Performing Arts Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":218772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[64,131,736,220,76,9,947],"class_list":["post-218761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-kauai-community-college","tag-kennedy-theatre","tag-performing-arts","tag-performing-arts-center","tag-theatre-and-dance","tag-uh-manoa","tag-uh-system","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-kennedy-rent-balcony.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218761"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":218789,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218761\/revisions\/218789"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/218772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}