'Rent:' Something to Sing About in La Jolla

Broadway is coming to La Jolla. will present Rent, a 100 percent student produced production of the 1986 Broadway musical about a group of friends struggling with life in New York’s East Village.

The UCSD production is completely student-run, from the acting and directing to the sound, costumes, sets and even the marketing and financial management, according to the university. The show runs April 12-14 on the UC San Diego campus and is open to the public.

“It’s incredible to see the talent that is here on campus,” said Kenneth Villanueva, a fourth year economics major and the marketing manager for the Muir Musical in an announcement. “At UC San Diego, we tend to focus on the academics, but there are a lot of very creative and artistically talented people here.”

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of the Muir Musical. It was founded in 1991 by sophomore Orren Webber who envisioned the production to be an outlet for students interested in musical theatre, but whom were not necessarily theater majors.

Except for one single-year hiatus, the Muir Musical has put on a full-scale Broadway musical production every year since its inception, with plays such as Pippin, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, Cabaret, Kiss Me, Kate and Seussical the Musical, according to UCSD.

“The Muir Musical has always been the highlight of my year,” added Villanueva. After three years of playing trumpet in the pit orchestra for the show, this year he is behind the scenes as the production’s marketing manager. “We’re doing ‘RENT’ this year, which doesn’t have a pit orchestra, so I had to find some other way to be involved,” he said. “There was no way I could not be a part of the show during my last year at UC San Diego.”

In addition to serving as a creative outlet for students, the show is an opportunity for students to build professional and personal skills, according to Patricia Mahaffey, dean of Student Affairs at Muir College.

“I’ve learned so much by participating in the Muir Musical over the last four years,” said Villanueva in the announcement. “It’s definitely helped me with my communication and time management skills, and I’m also doing better quality work for all of my classes.”

Rent will run April 12-14 at 8 p.m. at the Mandeville Auditorium on the UC San Diego campus. Tickets are $12 and available through the UC San Diego Box Office. For more information about the production, visit the Muir Musical website.

Like this article? Like us on Facebook, too. Or follow us on Twitter.

And be sure to stay in the local loop by subscribing to our newsletter — every morning we’ll deliver La Jolla news, announcements, blogs and calendar events right to your inbox.