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Seasons of Love

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Rent poster

Spring is the season when flowers bloom, hearts turn tender, and love is in the air. This was never truer than was demonstrated Sunday afternoon by the RCC Performing Arts Department in their portrayal of RENT to a full-capacity theater. The memorable theme song for the show is “Seasons of Love,” and the cast and crew showed an unmatched joyfulness and enthusiasm in taking part in the performance. The music, both vocal and instrumental, was wonderful, and the acting was compelling. The creative set, rousing choreography, and spot-on technical assistance all made for an engaging and seamless production.

More significant than the production itself, however, was that Sunday matinee’s proceeds are being donated to the Eric Johnson House in Morristown, NJ, a model residence for persons with AIDS/HIV. The House recently celebrated its 25th anniversary and has assisted thousands of individuals and families during that time. Donating the proceeds of a spring performance to a nonprofit is a gesture of love and community concern that is traditional for the Performing Arts Department. The RCC Performing Arts Department, thus, has its own way of demonstrating this “season of love.”

Rent stage

I admire Chairperson Patty Maloney-Titland and Theater Director Christopher Plummer and their great staff and impressive students and alumni participants. The Performing Arts/Theater program is very much a family—a family that is talented, creative, committed, and compassionate. They remind us that RCC is about more than skills and academics. It’s about values and community, too. I am so proud of all that they do and how and why they do it.

The Performing Arts Department is also an outstanding academic program for “All Seasons.” Not only does the department give students a strong foundation in the theater arts, but it also teaches students the importance of work on the world stage. In addition to giving all students the opportunity to perform, it also teaches the value of civic engagement and community service. The list below shows the difference this amazing program has made over the last several years. In “breaking a leg,” they have contributed the following:

March 2009 –Grease– Carter’s Club & Juvenile Diabetes - $7,000

March 2010 – St. Baldricks Fundraiser for Pediatric Cancer Research (Campus Players participated at the Pearl River St. Patricks Day Parade) - $2,000

April 2010 – 50 Years of Broadway - Slater Jett Meyers Foundation - $3,200

April 2011 –The Twelve- Concern Worldwide USA - $4,200

April 2012 – All the World’s a Musical Stage – Habitat - $1,300

April 2013 –Footloose- Autism Speaks - $2,000

November 2013 – Harvest Celebration of the Arts - Melissa Dimataris Memorial Scholarship - $9,000

March 2014 – Evening of Hope – Melissa Dimataris Memorial Scholarship - $4,000

April 2014 - Fiddler – RSVP - $5,200

April 2015 – Rent – Eric Johnson House – over $3,000


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