THAT MEANS IT’S GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL DAY. ALL RIGHT. IT’S BEEN 27 YEARS SINCE THE ICONIC MUSICAL RENT ARRIVED ON BROADWAY. NOW THE SHOW IS COMING TO OMAHA FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND THIS PRODUCTION WILL BE DIRECTED BY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AT THE OMAHA COMMUNITY PLAYHOUSE, STEVEN SANTA, WHO JOINS US TODAY. THANK YOU FOR WAKING UP EARLY AND BEING HERE WITH US THIS MORNING. SO HAPPY TO BE HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YEAH, RENT. I KONIG STAGE PLAY MOVIE, TALK ALL ABOUT IT. YEAH. I MEAN, RENT IS A MUSICAL THAT WAS GROUNDBREAKING ON BROADWAY ALMOST 27 YEARS AGO. CHANGED HOW WE THOUGHT ABOUT MUSICAL THEATER BY BRINGING ROCK MUSIC AND A DIVERSE CAST TO NEW YORK. AND NOW, 27 YEARS LATER, WE GET TO BRING AN EXCITING NEW PRODUCTION RIGHT HERE TO OMAHA. AND THEN HOW DO YOU FEEL? YOU KNOW, TO BE ABLE TO DIRECT THIS AND BRING IT TO OMAHA? WELL, RENT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE MUSICALS OF ALL TIME. IT’S SOMETHING THAT INSPIRED ME AS AN ARTIST WHEN I WAS YOUNG AND IT’S A MUSICAL THAT I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO DIRECT AND I’VE BEEN WORKING ON SOME EXCITING WAYS TO STAGE THE SHOW THAT WILL BE NEW TO AUDIENCES, BUT WILL STILL FOR FANS OF THE SHOW, THEY’LL STILL SEE THE MOMENTS THAT THEY REALLY LOVE SO IT’S BEEN REALLY FUN FOR ME TO WORK WITH THE CAST AND AND BRING THIS SHOW TO A 2023 AUDIENCE AND TALKING TO MY FACE THERE. ANYTHING THAT INSPIRED YOU WHILE DIRECTING THIS SHOW? WELL, OBVIOUSLY, ALL OF THE MESSAGES THAT ARE STILL RELEVANT AND ALL OF THE THEMES OF THE SHOW TODAY, EVEN BACK THEN, COMING INTO A NEW TIME WHEN WE’RE COMING OUT OF A PANDEMIC AND THERE’S THINGS THAT JUST STILL FELT REALLY RELEVANT THAT WE’VE BEEN WORKING ON WITH THE CAST. AND IT’S AN INCREDIBLE GROUP OF ARTISTS FROM OMAHA THAT ARE GOING TO BRING THIS MUSICAL TO LIFE AND A REAL INTIMATE AND EXCITING WAY WHERE THE AUDIENCE IS GOING TO BE REALLY, REALLY CLOSE TO THE ACTION. THERE IS. THERE’S NO KIND OF FOURTH WALL HERE. YOU’RE GOING TO BE SITTING SOME PEOPLE WILL BE SITTING TWO FEET FROM THE AUDIENCE OR FROM THE ACTORS. SO IT’S GOING TO BE JUST FULL, FULL OF FIRE AND EXCITEMENT. AND THEN WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU SAY TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME OUT AND SEE THE SHOW? WELL, LIKE YOU SAID, IT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS NOW. AND IT’S MY HOPE THAT THERE IS PEOPLE THAT HAVE LOVED THE SHOW JUST LIKE ME FOR MANY, MANY YEARS WILL COME TO SEE IT, BUT ALSO WE’LL SEE SOME YOUNG PEOPLE COME UP, MAYBE NEVER EXPERIENCED RENT BEFORE. AND THIS COULD BE THEIR FIRST TIME SEEING THIS ICONIC MUSICAL. SO I REALLY HOPE WE GET SOME YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE. AND YOU TALK ABOUT THOSE MESSAGES IN THE PLAY AND MUSICAL STILL BEING RELEVANT TODAY. AND RENT PUT QUEER PEOPLE IN A LIGHT THAT WE HADN’T SEEN FOR A LONG TIME. TALK ABOUT WHY THIS MUSICAL IS STILL RELEVANT AND STILL BEING SUCH A HUGE SUCCESS TODAY. YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK IT’S BECAUSE OF THE THEMES. THERE ARE THEMES OF LOVE AND LOSS AND LIFE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WE STRUGGLE WITH EVERY DAY AND FINDING OUR COMMUNITY AND FINDING OUR SUPPORT SYSTEM IN A WORLD THAT’S ALWAYS CHANGING. SO THOSE THEMES, I THINK, WILL ALWAYS BE WITH US FOREVER. AND HAVE THERE BEEN ANY CHALLENGES WHEN IT CAME TO DIRECTING SUCH AN ICONIC PIECE? YOU KNOW, WE’LL STILL FIND OUT BECAUSE THIS WEEK WE GO INTO OUR FINAL REHEARSALS WHERE ALL OF THE LIGHTS AND SOUND AND AND SETS AND COSTUMES COME TOGETHER. BUT THAT’S ALWAYS ALSO THE MOST EXCITING TIME WHEN YOU SEE YOUR VISION AND AND EVERYTHING YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING ON FOR ALMOST SIX WEEKS NOW COME TOGETHER. SO I’D SAY IT’S BEEN MORE EXCITING THAN IT’S BEEN CHALLENGING FOR SURE. AND I’M SURE IT’S GOING TO BE AN AMAZING PRODUCTION. WE WANT TO CHECK IT OUT AND WE HOPE YOU CHECK IT OUT TO RENT OPENS AT THE OMAHA COMMUNITY PLAYHOUSE ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH. YOU