Books/Articles/Documentaries/Etc on the subject of Rent
Hello! This upcoming summer I am going to be the dramaturg for the theater I work at's productions of Rent: Teen Edition. I have never been a dramaturg before but I offered my services because I love learning about history, and I love storytelling and analyzing text. I work for a local youth theatre company primarily as a director and we've never really worked with having a dramaturg before so this is kind of an experiment and I want to get it right. I think it is really important that the kids know the context of this show before they perform it!
I want to start reading books and articles, and watching documentaries on the subject matter of Rent now but I don't quite know where to start. I need book/article/documentary/etc recommendations for stuff about rent control and poverty in New York in the 80s and 90s, things about gentrification and drug abuse in the 80s and 90s in NYC, LGBTQ history, and of course the AIDS epidemic. I also want sources on how these things still effect people today.