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A busy Manhattan street in the evening, framed by lit shop windows and high-rise apartment buildings.

Alphabet City

Alphabet City is a neighborhood in the East Village of Manhattan. Learn more about the history of this area and the many arts and activist movements that took place there.

A lit, red wax candle, long and slender, that has been twisted into the shape of a red AIDS Awareness ribbon.

AIDS, Arts, & Activism

Learn about the history of the AIDS epidemic, including the cultural responses that exist to this day.  

Floor-to-ceiling view of an ornate opera house with seated audience members in the foreground and performers on stage.

La Bohéme to Rent: Legacies

Rent is loosely based on the opera La Bohème, composed by Giacomo Puccini. Learn more about the story of La Bohéme and its connection to Rent. 

A man stands to the right of a poster advertising tickets to Rent at NY Theatre Workshop with a notice in red that says "Sold Out."

Thank You, Jonathan Larson: 25 Years of Rent

More than 25 years after Jonathan Larson's death and the original cast's first preview performance of Rent, both of which occurred on January 25, 1996, the world still has Jonathan to thank for his contributions to the living canon of musical theater.

Preview image for From the Director: Chip Miller

From the Director: Chip Miller

How do you measure a year? Director Chip Miller on the timeless and inspiring messages of Rent.

The original DJ Kool Herc party flyer, hand-written on notebook paper in pencil and black ink.

“And You Don’t Stop” — The Enduring Legacy of Hip Hop

If you happened to be in the Bronx on August 11, 1973, and you had a few quarters in your pocket, you may have become a witness to a world-changing event. At a Back to School Jam hosted in the rec room of his apartment complex, DJ Kool Herc, a teenage Jamaican immigrant, singularly invented a new art form that would evolve into a global phenomenon.

Portland Center Stage is committed to identifying & interrupting instances of racism & all forms of oppression, through the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, & accessibility (IDEA).

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