“Angel is the love and the light of the show and the bond that ties the group together,” proclaims the irrepressibly enthusiastic Phil Skala. Skala plays Angel in the Lower Ossington Theatre production of Rent, the timeless musical about surviving, loving, creating art and coping with AIDS. Having played many roles in children’s theatre, Skala welcomes the opportunity to settle into a character that is more real: “I’ve loved finding the many similarities there are between myself and Angel and the differences we have that bring on the challenges of playing the part.”


Andres Sierra is another Angel, in Theatre Sheridan’s production of Rent at the Panasonic Theatre. Sierra shares Skala’s zest for the part: “Angel is the heart of the play. As opposed to a lot of darkness the characters experience in this story, Angel is always full of light and positivity.” It is perhaps strange that two productions of Rent should run at approximately the same time in the same city, but in response to suggestions of competition between them, Skala responds, “It’s musical theatre we’re talking about, not baseball. We are all getting the opportunity to do something really important and spread these amazing messages that come through in Rent and could very well change someone’s life.” — Jeremy Willard

Theatre Sheridan’s production of Rent runs Wed, May 16–Sun, June 3 at the Panasonic Theatre, 651 Yonge St. theatre.sheridancollege.ca

Lower Ossington Theatre’s production of Rent runs Thurs, May 24–Sat, June 16 at the Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington Ave. lowerossingtontheatre.com