# Event Details

- **Event Name**: RENT: Beyond the Stage — A Conversation About Art, Medicine & Survival
- **Event Start and End Date**: Sun, 20 Sep, 2026 at 05:30 pm (-04:00)
- **Event Description**: RENT changed musical theatre—but the story it tells reaches far beyond the stage. Join us after the final performance on Sunday, September 20, around 5:30 p.m., for a powerful conversation about the world that gave rise to RENT, the lives transformed by the AIDS crisis, and the extraordinary ways medicine, personal experience, and art helped change society.

Dr. Jennifer Janelle, an infectious disease specialist at UF Health and a leader in HIV care and education, will explore how the HIV/AIDS crisis transformed medicine and what that legacy means today—including her work providing care in rural Florida. Gainesville’s own Marvene Edwards will share her remarkable story of surviving HIV/AIDS and turning her experience into a life of helping others. And Patricia Tomlinson, Executive Director of Arts in Health Ocala Metro, will examine the powerful relationship between art and social change: how the music, theatre, visual art, activism, and creative expression born out of the AIDS crisis gave voice to a generation—and helped change hearts, minds, policy, and the culture itself.

This is more than a conversation about RENT. It is a conversation about what happens when people refuse to be silent—and what can happen when medicine, art, and human courage come together.

MEET THE GUEST SPEAKERS
Jennifer Janelle, MD, is an Associate Professor within the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine in the Department of Medicine, which consistently places among the top tier of US Higher Education institutions for research output in Infectious Diseases. She also serves as the UF Adult Infectious Diseases Fellowship Associate Program Director. She is the principal investigator for the North Florida AIDS Education and Training Center, a Partner in the Southeast AETC, an HRSA-funded project that aims to increase access to high-quality HIV care through medical education and technical assistance. Dr. Janelle received her medical degree from the University of Tennessee in Memphis. She then came to the University of Florida to continue her training, where she completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in infectious diseases. She is board-certified in infectious diseases, and her clinical interests include medical education, HIV/AIDS, and sexually transmitted diseases.

Marvene Edwards tested positive for HIV in 1987, after a traumatic decade in south Florida. In 2003, she learned that her disease had progressed to AIDS – which, ironically, marked the beginning of a new life for her. At this turning point, Marvene moved to Gainesville and met people in her new community who helped her redirect her life, replacing drugs and jail time with support groups and church services. She found additional purpose when she began volunteering at the Alachua County Health Department in 2004. Marvene also became the president of Positives Empowering Positives, a local organization designed to encourage those living with HIV/AIDS and to remind them there is more to life than being HIV positive. She then became a medical adherence case manager at Positively U, a nonprofit HIV support organization for central Florida. Today, Marvene’s life is devoted to family, service, and education as she lives fully and vibrantly.

Patricia Tomlinson is the Executive Director of Arts in Health Ocala Metro (AIHOM) and has worked as an arts professional for 22 years. After serving as the Public Arts Coordinator for the State of New Mexico, Tomlinson transitioned to a career as curatorial staff at the Denver Art Museum and then the Appleton Museum of Art. During her tenure at the Appleton, she became increasingly engaged with the Arts in Health community and sought to integrate healing arts practices into her curatorial work. Eventually, that led her to accept the position at AIHOM. Tomlinson is a passionate proponent of the life-changing benefits of the arts and strives to implement this conviction to build stronger, healthier communities.

RENT is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Community Partner: Marion Mosaic
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/silver-springs/rent-beyond-the-stage-a-conversation-about-art-medicine-and-survival/200030680894806
- **Event Categories**: Art, health-wellness, Workshops, Theatre, Nonprofit
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 0

## Ticket Details


## Event venue details

- **city**: Silver Springs
- **state**: FL
- **country**: United States
- **location**: 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala, FL, United States, Florida 34470
- **lat**: 29.20699
- **long**: -82.07579
- **full address**: 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala, FL, United States, Florida 34470, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala, FL 34470-5001, United States, Silver Springs

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: RENT: Beyond the Stage — A Conversation About Art, Medicine & Survival
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events9/banners/1f8dd27eeb09c9ac63291a25f751e667db7e2d5c3728536b263ca2ea15439b50-rimg-w1200-h628-dc080808-gmir?v=1788993546

## FAQs

- **Q**: When and where is RENT: Beyond the Stage — A Conversation About Art, Medicine & Survival being held?
  - **A:** RENT: Beyond the Stage — A Conversation About Art, Medicine & Survival takes place on Sun, 20 Sep, 2026 at 05:30 pm to Sun, 20 Sep, 2026 at 05:30 pm at 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala, FL, United States, Florida 34470, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala, FL 34470-5001, United States, Silver Springs.
- **Q**: Who is organizing RENT: Beyond the Stage — A Conversation About Art, Medicine & Survival?
  - **A:** RENT: Beyond the Stage — A Conversation About Art, Medicine & Survival is organized by Ocala Civic Theatre.
- **Q**: What has been the experience of attendees at Ocala Civic Theatre's events?
  - **A:** Ocala Civic Theatre has 128+ followers on AllEvents, reflecting a trusted and active community of event-goers who follow their events. Ocala Civic Theatre has a verified profile on AllEvents where you can read reviews and explore their upcoming events.
- **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me?
  - **A:** RENT: Beyond the Stage — A Conversation About Art, Medicine & Survival is ideal for art lovers, collectors, creatives, and anyone inspired by visual arts, installations, and exhibitions. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Silver Springs, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If RENT: Beyond the Stage — A Conversation About Art, Medicine & Survival sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast.

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