Uh Mānoa's RENT To Play Kauaʻi Community College in August

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's Department of Theatre & Dance will bring its acclaimed production of RENT to Kauaʻi Community College Performing Arts Center from August 8–10, 2025. Directed by Joshua “Baba” Tavares, the production received critical praise for its emotional depth, dynamic staging, and resonant local themes during its sold-out run at Kennedy Theatre earlier this year.

A former cast member in the 20th Anniversary National Tour of RENT, Tavares now serves as an assistant professor of acting at UH Mānoa. “We are so excited to take our show to Kauaʻi and connect with our Kauaʻi ʻohana in this way,” he said.

More than 40 students, faculty, staff, musicians, and technicians from UH Mānoa’s programs in theatre and dance, psychology, music, law, cinematic arts, and Hawaiian language are participating in the touring production. The Kauaʻi performances mark the show’s first appearance outside of Oʻahu.

As part of the visit, the cast and creative team will also offer a free acting workshop for Kauaʻi-based artists and storytellers on Saturday, August 9. More details will be announced soon.

BroadwayWorld called the original UH Mānoa run “a soaring and heartfelt production” filled with “aloha, heartbreak, queer joy… and the unbridled energy of young people united for justice and love.”

Tavares emphasized the enduring impact of the show. “Even though the show is set in a specific time, its challenges feel just as relevant today—especially here in Hawaiʻi,” he said. “Homelessness, gentrification, mental health struggles, and the long shadow of devastating disease—are we talking about the '80s and '90s, or are we talking about today?”

He added, “RENT isn't just about struggle––it's about hope, tolerance, human rights, and above all, aloha. It's about love.”

The performances will be held at the newly reopened Kauaʻi CC Performing Arts Center, which reopened in April 2024 after pandemic-era closures and extensive upgrades. The revitalized venue is once again a cultural hub under the leadership of new manager Gregory von Hausch.

Loosely inspired by Puccini’s La Bohème, Jonathan Larson’s RENT follows a group of young artists navigating love, identity, and survival in 1990s New York City during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Since its Broadway debut in 1996, the musical has become a defining work of modern theatre.

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