Anthony Rapp of Broadway’s RENT Giving Lecture on HIV/AIDS at Jefferson

Anthony Rapp in “If/Then.”

Broadway performer, author, and advocate Anthony Rapp will be heading to Philadelphia this Thursday, October 29th to present a talk at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital about how art has influenced discourse on HIV/AIDS and sexuality.

The original cast member of RENT is speaking as part of Jefferson’s Medical Humanities Series, and his lecture will cover how Rapp “feels RENT opened America’s and the world’s eyes to the aforementioned issues, what appreciations/understanding it gave him about these issues and those impacted by him and how RENT might have changed how society talked about and viewed issues of sexuality.”

In addition to his role in the stage version of RENT, Rapp re-created his part in the major motion picture of the musical. He recently starred in If/Then on Broadway, and penned his 2006 memoir, Without You: a Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical RENT. Rapp also serves with the organization Friends in Deed, which provides advocacy and support for anyone diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other illnesses.

This isn’t the only RENT-themed event at Jefferson: They’ll be having a special pre-theater reception at the Ritz Theater’s production of the musical on November 6th and will later present the show in-concert on December 1st.

Rapp’s presentation is this Thursday at 5 pm at Connelly Auditorium at Jefferson’s Hamilton Building. For more information, visit their website.