I know I’ve said this before, but theater really is alive and well this summer in Durango and at DAC.

At DAC alone, we have experienced an increase in interest, talent and energy at auditions, in our shows and in our performing-arts instructors.

I continue to be encouraged and inspired by new faces turning out to audition and then going on to star both on the stage at DAC and in our community.

At DAC, we develop our theater seasons using a formula that considers what people want, what we can actually produce and where lies our passion to make something come alive.

We aim to accommodate community interests and deliver a wide variety of shows, but it also is our job to take risks and continue to push the boundaries of what the community can experience in our theater.

We find joy in taking risks to present an audience with edgier shows and performances that touch on new experiences and feelings and help people to evolve in their thinking and emotions.

In delivering show after show, season after season, we experience our own cathartic process, which happens naturally when you commit yourself to a vision and purpose. We grow, expand and become better at professional community theater. With our upcoming production of “Rent,” we hope to share this process with the community.

Seasoned DAC theater patrons may feel an undercurrent of expression and talent that is stronger than ever before. If you are new to the performing arts, expect to experience a new attraction and connection. No matter what, you will see just how much the cast pours their hearts and souls into bringing a story to life just for you.

“Rent” is not your typical musical with song and dance numbers. It’s a rock musical that actually has few choreographed routines and little dialogue. Fully cast with local talent both seasoned and new to the stage, “Rent” is a story about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today.

Hovering in the shadow of poverty, addiction and AIDS, “Rent” tells the vigorous tale of one year in the life of friends living the Bohemian lifestyle in New York City’s modern-day East Village. The characters of the story are a marginal band of artists who vehemently believe that friendship, compassion, grief, pleasure and beauty are more important than money, real estate and power.

Although it is based on Puccini’s opera “La Boheme,” a tragedy about loss and death, “Rent” really is a story about hope – hope found not only in the heavy and gritty weight of society but in the ultimate reality of death.

We invite you to come be moved, but most of all, we invite you to share, explore and revel in this story of hope.

Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 27-29, Sept. 11-12, 17-19 and 25-26 and at 2 p.m. Sept. 13 and 27. This is a hot show with limited tickets, so get yours soon. For more information, visit www.durangoarts.org.

elsa@durangoarts.com. Elsa Jagniecki is the marketing coordinator for the Durango Arts Center.