Seats are all I can see looking out. Rows and rows of seats just sit there stationary, like soldiers at attendance. To my left, stands a statue made entirely out of things off the street. Those pieces of junk are now marveled by millions who pay money to see the production. Again, I turn to see the sea of seats out in the audience, and the realization that I am on the Broadway stage for the musical Rent hits me.

Now you’ve probably guessed that you can’t just go up to a Nederlander employee and ask to go up on the “Rent” stage. Therefore, I was ecstatic when my aunt called us and said that if we met her at the Nederlander theater, we maybe able to go backstage. “Do you want to go?” my mom asked.

“Heck yes!” I almost screamed, surprised my mom even had to ask. To be able to go backstage where Idina Menzel, Tracie Thorns, Anthony Rapp, and Adam Pascal performed is something most Broadway geeks dream about. Having an opportunity to stand on that stage made my head spin, and I was jumping with excitement. I practically skipped the 18 city blocks (roughly 1.8 miles) that it took to get there.

The more we walked, the longer the blocks seemed to stretch, and the more I anticipated being backstage on one of the longest running musicals in history. Finally the flashing sign that read RENT in big bold letters appeared. My cousin Krista spotted us walking, and came running to greet us. We must have looked like freaks jumping up and down, practically shouting how excited we were.

The faint echoing of the last song hummed in the background as my aunt came into view. I couldn’t believe that “Rent” would be closing, on Broadway, Sept. 7. It was one of the first musicals I had ever seen, and one of the first Broadway plays I had ever experienced. It’s message is so powerful I couldn’t fathom closing a show this incredible. It’s still going to be traveling! I thought, trying not to think about it ending. Then my cousin handed me a marker and we signed the “Rent” wall, with the seemingly millions of other names. It’s really cool to say that my name will be tattooed on the theater until it either gets torn down or painted over.

As people were streaming out of the building, we were going in. Compared to most theaters, the Nederlander is kind of shabby. The golden painted frames on the walls are chipped, and the artwork is very Bohemian. Surprisingly, it helps the message of the play, and embraces one of the main concepts of “Rent,” that looks are deceiving. When people walk into the theater they look at the paintings like they aren’t works of art because of the grubby way they are framed. The same people come out with a different perspective, that maybe these paintings are beautiful in a different, more abstract way.

Finally, we got to go backstage. The lighting director, Greg, was giving us a tour. Posters in hand, we greeted him, thanking him profusely for allowing us to have this experience. Greg was my aunt’s, friend’s, brother, so it was only us embarking on this amazing tour. Going up the stairs to get onto the stage, we ran into Tracie Thorns! I actually got her autograph! It was so cool to actually meet her in person; I almost died. For those of you who don’t know, Tracie Thorns plays Joanne in the movie Rent, and she is playing Joanne in the musical for its last few weeks. I got a bunch of other autographs too, from other members of the cast.

It was such a phenomenal adventure already, that when we got up to the stage I didn’t know if I could take any more excitement! I got to see the props that they kept backstage, how everything was organized, even where they kept their water. Greg showed us the stage managers desk, which looked like someone had taken a semi-organized desk through a tornado. Papers were everywhere, and there was a huge list the stage manager had made for herself about everything she needed to do to get through one show. It was pretty spectacular, I finally realized that what Mrs. Appleby said was true, the stage manager is a god on stage. My cousin Krista almost freaked out when we saw the squeegee, supposedly the guy who uses the prop is her hero.

Then came the moment we were all anxious for, we got to go to the performing part of the stage. That is what the actors see looking out. I felt so small standing there, the seats rose high above me. It was a pretty incredible sight, seeing all those red seats, and thinking about how nervous the actors must feel every night knowing that every one of those seats is filled. We couldn’t take pictures of the stage (because of copyright issues), but we could take a picture of us standing on the stage, with the seats in the background.

Bombarding Greg with thanks one last time, we asked for his autograph before we left. It was pretty sweet of him to let us come backstage, so we felt he should be in the poster of stars. I don’t think he’d ever been asked for his autograph before, because he looked pretty excited. That was one of the most memorable things that happened to me when I went to New York City, and I won’t soon forget the thrill. I had fulfilled my dream of being on a Broadway stage, and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life! I hope everyone gets to realizes a dream at least once in their life like I did that night.