Readying West Valley Youth Theater’s RENT for opening night

On July 20th West Valley Youth Theater (WVYT)’s production of Rent school edition will debut at Leigh High School. Rent’s cast is comprised entirely of local high school students, some of which have been avid performers at WVYT since they were in elementary school.
A product of nearly three months of rehearsal, this show is sure to wow countless Bay Area residents. Speaking on the rehearsal process, Choreographer Pauline Locsin-Kanter stated: “Each cast member has been doing an amazing job connecting the choreography to the text and music, to tell the story of Rent.”
After an extensive rehearsal process under the direction of Artistic Director Heather Stokes, Choreographer Pauline Locsin-Kanter, Vocal Director Truesten Tautolo, and Stage Manager Patrick Gammon, the cast was thrilled to begin practicing with a live band. In order to perfect their musicality and specify vocal cues, the band met with the performers for a sitzprobe. During the sitzprobe, the entirety of performers took turns standing up during the songs they are in, and learned to communicate with the band on setting the perfect tempo for each musical number. Keira Saban, who plays roles such as Alexi Darling and Elsie the Cow explained “working with the band is such a fun and unique experience because they can tailor the music to work for the specific actor. Unlike using musical tracks, having a band gives us more liberty to make the songs our own.”
Immediately following the conclusion of WVYT’s The Lightning Thief, members of Rent’s cast took to the stage, hand-painting wooden ramps, moving platforms, organizing costume pieces, and more. Despite the difficulty of some of these tasks, the performers banded together, exercising consistent team work. Not only did performers help assemble the set, but some even banded together with employees and parent volunteers to assist in costuming, reviewing dances with peers, and creating props.
Aiden Curtis, who plays the role of Benjamin Coffin III in the Soho cast concluded “It has been a great experience doing such a moving and powerful show especially while being surrounded by such amazing talent. The amazing band, stunning set, and great actors all meld perfectly together to make a tremendous show.” Tickets are still available at wvyt.org/tickets, so be sure to support these local performers by watching Rent July 20, 21, 22, and 23.

Article written by Ainsley Northr0p, WVYT performer