The Enduring Lessons of RENT:
A Q&A with Phillip Alexander Downie
RENT in Concert, part of the Windows Series, features a free panel discussion on community-building in times of change. In this interview, moderator Phillip Alexander Downie (he/him), CEO of Montgomery County Pride Family & MoCo Pride Center Inc., reflects on the musical’s urgent themes of resilience, belonging, and creativity.
Why does RENT feel especially timely right now?
What feels especially timely today is the tension between scarcity and abundance. We are living through political moments where people are being told there is not enough space, resources, or care for everyone, especially for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and other marginalized people. RENT reminds us that even amid hardship, joy, love, and creativity can expand possibilities. That message, that we can choose abundance through community care and resistance through individual and community action feels urgent right now.
How do you see resilience and chosen family showing up in communities today?
Across the country, LGBTQIA+ people step into roles of caregiver, mentor, advocate, and sibling to one another. That instinct to create safety, joy, and kinship in the face of adversity is one of our greatest strengths. When the systems around us fail to affirm us, we do not wait for permission; we build our own. RENT captures that truth beautifully, and it continues to mirror the lived experience of our communities today.
From your years working with marginalized communities, what have you learned about strength and belonging?
Strength is not just about enduring hardship. It is about transforming it into something meaningful. In my work, I have seen that belonging comes when people are invited to live fully in their truth, without apology. And let me be clear: we are not here to be tolerated. Tolerance suggests that our existence is something to put up with. What we are building is deeper and far more powerful than that. We are cultivating spaces of radical inclusion, visibility across generations, and recognition that every single one of us has inherent worth.
See RENT in Concert in the Music Center on February 25, 2026.