THE team behind Horsham Arts Council’s production of Rent has partnered with service organisations to provide more support to people in the community.
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Rent will open at the Horsham Town Hall on Friday after months of rehearsals.
It will run for six shows and close on November 4.
Director Debbie Boutcher said the show dealt with some confronting issues.
She said themes of the show included homelessness, HIV and LGBTQI issues.
“There is also drug and drug use, although it is not shown on stage,” she said.
“Suicide is mention and there is also death as we lose one of the main characters.”
Ms Boutcher said the themes were intertwined throughout the whole show.
“The characters are on the verge of being evicted and it is set around Christmas,” she said.
“But it is a story about people who have built their own community of friends.
“They love each other, they have arguments – the show is really about life.”
The show is set in Manhattan from 1989 to 1990 and follows the lives of eight people, who are mostly struggling musicians and artists.
“It’s like looking through a window at a snapshot of someone’s life,” Ms Boutcher said.
She said the cast had really taken on board all the issues the story portrays.
“They have dug deep to bring these themes to life,” she said.
“Theatre really deals with issues in a way that no other medium can.”
The show has partnered with headspace Horsham, Uniting Wimmera and Grampians Community Health to offer support to people dealing with similar issues.
“The organisations are very supportive of the show – these are groups that are dealing with these issues every day,” Ms Boutcher said.
“The community collaboration has been fantastic.
“Even the way the show has been put together is on a collaborative basis.
“Everyone has had a say and we’ve workshopped a lot of scenes to see what works best.” Ms Boutcher said everything was on track for opening night.
“I am so happy with how it has been going,” she said.
The team had a dress rehearsal at the town hall on Tuesday.
“The cast is tired, the band is tired, but once you add the opening night adrenaline, it will all go well.”
