I won't go into much detail about this right now, just know that I wanted to write an actual plot based story. Le Gasp! I don't own anything in this story. At All. Period. I am making no money off of this, and any similarities between the characters in this fic and other people, alive or dead, is completely unintentional.
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"Wait." Rachel scoffed. "Did we learn nothing from Rocky Horror?" This was a bit much, she was all for pushing the envelope, but with such controversial issues, it was going to be Rocky all over again. "I mean, I love RENT as much as the next girl, but won't Coach Sylvester try to interfere...again?"
Kurt rolled his eyes, "Sylvester tries to ruin us all the time. Besides, where Rocky Horror was risque, RENT is poignant. She has no grounds really."
Mr. Schuester nodded. Rocky Horror had been a fiasco, and while it pained him to admit it, Sue was right about it not being appropriate. RENT had its moments, but those were easily solved. Its message was important too. "Kurt's right, RENT is about a group of friends in New York struggling with tough issues like AIDS, homosexuality, drug use and the like. It's a message that needs to get out."
The teacher stood from his stool and clapped his hands. "Now, I'll be divvying up the roles. I want to challenge everyone, so the role you get may not be what you consider to be your forte, but I want to make this into a journey of self-discovery." Most of the club members groaned, either inwardly or outwardly. "Now, not everyone will get a major part to themselves. I still want everyone to do their best."
Artie sighed, "I won't get a major part, will I?" Mr. Schuester glanced at the wheelchair-ridden boy. "No, however, I do want you as a major part of the ensemble. You'll have a solo for sure in Will I." It was an important scene, and knowing Artie, he'd make the scene extremely emotional. "Also, I want to open the show with a song, kind of a 'Calm Everyone Down' to settle the audience in." The older man smiled, "Would you be willing to sing a solo?" It wasn't a stellar trade-off, and he felt bad for short changing the boy, but hopefully he could do right by giving him the solo.
Artie considered it, it wasn't too bad a deal. He didn't get very many solos, and besides, it was a school musical. It wasn't the end of the world if he wasn't in the spotlight. "Alright, what song would you like me to sing?"
"Something relevant to the plot. I want you to pick out your song, you know your voice best." Mr. Schue smiled before looking back to the rest of the teens. "Kurt, would you object to playing Angel?"
The countertenor's eyes widened, "Why that role?"
"You're the most comfortable in heels?" Puck offered.
"You have a high voice?" Finn added.
"Both are valid reasons, but not correct." Will shook his head. "Kurt, tell me. What statistic, though it's changing, is most quoted when describing the dangers of homosexuality."
The brunet's eyes slipped toward the ground, unwilling to answer. Kurt himself thought that fear was not a good look on him, and the subject was a touchy one for him. His father had discussed this with him, and while he appreciated that he was looking out for him, it was still an uncomfortable subject.
When Kurt didn't answer, it was Rachel who did. "AIDS." The word was whispered, as if it were a filthy word, one not to be spoken. "My fathers constantly talk about when they were younger, how scary that was." She said no more, as though that summed up the entire train of thought.
Will nodded, "It's a difficult subject, and I needed someone who I believed could portray the character well, especially when dealing with that subject."
"Alright, fair enough." Kurt's eyes were rimmed with red, and Mercedes wrapped an arm around the boy, squeezing him tight around the shoulders.
"Quinn." The Cheerio's head whipped toward Will, hazel eyes wide. "I want you to play Joanne. Mercedes, you'll be the understudy." The two girls looked at each other, bewildered. Quinn gulped, "Mr. Schue, who's going to be Maureen?"
"Tina." The gothic girl looked even more shocked than Quinn. "Santana will understudy."
"Mr. S," Santana's smooth voice interjected, "Why is it that me and Wheezy get the understudy parts?"
"We're doing four shows, I suppose understudy is the wrong term. More or less, two nights Maureen will be Tina, two nights, Santana. Same with Joanne."
The latina nodded her head, placated by the explanation.
"As for Mimi, I think Brittany and Rachel will play her."
"What?"
"Isn't Mimi an ostrich?"
"Okay, I expected that." Will laughed. "Rachel, I believe there is a layer in you that you don't let out very often. We saw it way back when you guys did Push It. I think playing a sexy character will help your confidence in your appearance." The argyle-clad girl blushed, remember vividly what he was referring to. She had not-so-subtly appeared to be pleasuring Finn. Sam was the only person who looked totally confused.
Mike leaned over and whispered to the blond that the video was still on Jacob Ben Israel's blog. Sam nodded and made a mental note to go look it up.
"As for casting Brittany, we've still yet to really hear her. The most we got was in the Time Warp and Toxic." The curly haired man smiled broadly, "I think this will be an interesting way to see what she can do."
Brittany linked her pinky with Santana and smiled. "San already knows what I can do."
The rest of the group stared at her for a moment, Puck smirking, and then ignored the pair. Finn tapped his foot nervously, "So that's all the girls' roles, what about us?"
"Mark." Will tapped his chin, "Finn and Mike will play Mark." The two jocks high fived, smiling, content with their combined role.
"Roger will be played by Sam." Sam looked a little at a loss for words, quickly looking toward Quinn, who nodded encouragingly.
Puck felt that slight sinking feeling, especially after Finn, Rachel, Quinn, Tina, Mercedes, and Kurt all glanced at him, eyes slightly full of alarm. "What role is left?"
"Collins." That didn't sound too bad. "He's Angel's lover..." Puck face drained of color, before he sputtered indignantly. Will quickly reasoned, "You're a very talented person, but I want you to see life from a different side." The director's eyes flashed, "A lot of people in here are guilty of bigotry, and that is the second half of the reason behind this choice. I want you to at least become acquainted with not only your characters, but what they represent."
With a final clap of the hands, and a dazzling smile, Mr. Schuester merely said. "Let's get to work."
Riiiiiiiight.
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This bunny bit me hard...like really hard. I don't know exactly where the pairings will go, just know that very few, if any, will be canon. Do not use the characters they are playing as a guide because I am not certain that's where I want it to go either. Please leave a review, or constructive criticism. Flames will be used for a weenie roast.
