The Running of the Bulls - RENT style

I was at the Shimberg Playhouse for the preview performance of Stagework's The Little Dog Laughed last night. As I was standing outside to congratulate local actors Julie Rowe, Matthew Lunsford, Nick Horan, and Mary Jordan, I felt a great rush of adrenaline, angst and adoration as the Running of the RENTheads went past me in a blur.

They wore sundresses with heels, jeans with Chuck Taylors, a mix of emotion and confusion and unbridled joy. They smelled of androgynous cologne and summer sweat. They giggled and shrieked as the clacking of their shoes echoed down the corridor.

There was 500 ft. between them and the Stage Door. They were quickly gaining ground towards the Stage Door. The velvet ropes were in sight. We were in their way.

We moved. Quickly.

And so the Running of RENTheads flew by us, desperately jockeying for their place in line. Hoping for the best angle to see Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp.

So if you're coming to TBPAC this weekend to see RESPECT, Little Dog Laughed or you happen to be sitting close to the ends of the aisles for RENT - be warned - the Running of the RENTheads is real and they will not be stopped by mere mortals like you.

-Kari G.

The ultimate RENThead experience

We love our summer intern AP (we'll call her AP to protect her identity). AP has suffered through our last minute freak-outs, has become well acquainted with our temperamental copy machine, stared at 10 spreadsheets and made them one coherent document, and frequently asks me (without prompting) if I need Starbucks.

In short - she's an angel.

She's also a RENThead. Bad. Almost to the point of wanting to tease her. But you can't tease somebody that just copied and cut 2,500 inserts for you.

She saw RENT last night, she's seeing it tonight. If she wasn't expected to be here in the mornings, I bet she would be hanging out in line with the other RENTheads for rush tickets (they camp out).

Working here and interning here can be a lot of hard work. "The show must go on" isn't a saying, it's a edict. We get a lot done in a little bit of time and if we do our job right, the patron never notices.

AP has learned that and she's gained experience and become a great team member. Today, we got to do something nice for her.

AP got to assist the publicist in picking up Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal today. If you're a Beatles Fan - she got to pick up John and Paul. If you're a U2 fan - she got to pick up Bono and The Edge. If you're a Jonas Brothers fan - she got to pick up 2 of the 3 of them. (They all look the same to me, sorry).

As I type this she is meeting the two men who first breathed life into Roger and Mark and made RENT the worldwide success that it is today. The only advice I could give her was, "Try not to drool."

The work here is hard, the perks are unbelievable. I doubt she will ever forget today.

-Kari G.