FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — The Fredericksburg Theatre Ensemble’s fall production of RENT carries special meaning this year as the company pays tribute to longtime performer and friend, Chris Hlusko, who died shortly before the show opened.
Hlusko’s first appearance with the Ensemble came in 2012 with The Eight: Reindeer Monologues. Over the years, he left his mark on stage and backstage, contributing to productions including I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, The Rocky Horror Show, and Dangerous Liaisons, where his passion for costumes shone. Most recently, he appeared in Stage Door Productions’ King Lear. RENT was to be his return to the FTE stage.
“RENT is a show about love and community. One of the most important aspects of this production is the love and community that we have built off stage,” said Devon Clark, chair of the Ensemble’s board. “Nobody in this cast is replaceable. Certainly not Chris. However, the cast and crew of RENT have built such a powerful support system that our reaction to Chris’s passing was to come together and want to share this story more.”
Clark said Hlusko’s passing has brought deeper meaning to several scenes. “The song, Without You, for example, is about the human cost of loving someone or something so much that they go away. As artists, we always try to achieve authenticity. And now, with Chris’s passing, we can’t help it.”
The Ensemble has built tributes to Hlusko into every performance of RENT. A personal message appears in the director’s notes, the program contains a full page honoring his life, and one seat is reserved for him during every show. His image is painted on the stage, and his presence continues in the final video montage.
Beyond the Ensemble, the regional theater community has rallied to celebrate Hlusko’s life. Performers who worked with him at Riverside Center, Stage Door, and FTE remembered him as a “force of life.” Friends traveled from Florida, California, New York City, and even Germany to attend his Celebration of Life in Fredericksburg. The turnout was so large that the venue ran out of chairs, with some mourners standing outside.
Clark said the Ensemble would not comment on the cause of Hlusko’s death, noting that it was not the company’s news to share.
The Fredericksburg Theatre Ensemble’s production of RENT continues through October 5 at the Allstate Community Theater on Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg.
