By James Gerus • Halifax • 2026-07-03
Nova Scotia’s own Allister MacDonald (they/he) is revisiting the iconic role of Roger in RENT at Neptune Theatre this summer.
Born in Antigonish, Allister has risen through the ropes as a Canadian actor and gone on to achieve amazing milestones, including becoming an ACTRA award winner, starring in the groundbreaking film Stage Mother, and performing in theatres across Canada.
His character, Roger, is central in RENT -- late 20s, rock musician, former addict, HIV-positive. He is desperate to write one last meaningful song before he dies.
MacDonald is becoming a familiar friendly face at the Neptune, having originally performed there in 2018 in Shakespeare in Love, and has done several shows there since. This is their third time acting in the iconic rock musical that deals with such issues as 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and the HIV/AIDS crisis.
I chatted with “Allie” over tacos at Antojo Tacos + Tequila on Argyle street about his upcoming show, his craft, and how his queerness and Atlantic Canada upbringing influences his artistry.
Do you prefer to work as a theatre actor or a film actor? Or a bit of both?
Lately I like to do both because I’m finding that lately my film acting is informing my theatre acting. It's making me more relaxed and more focused at the same time. I don’t have to push as hard as I used to.
You went to TMU (formerly Ryerson) to study theatre. Did TMU help with your acting technique, and if so how?
You know what? I look back on those days and I think that where I succeeded was that I approached each unit as a tool that I can put in my toolbelt. I think back to that time and I’m like "Oh, psycho-physical class, and sitting here waiting for something to come out, and that will help me here." And right now, in RENT right now, I’m breathing in some deep stuff and its releasing something in me. I genuinely use stuff I’ve learned from each unit in my toolbox as an actor. I’m very grateful.
I think RENT's themes still resonate because it's about humanity.
You play Roger in RENT. But you played that character over 10 years ago in Toronto. Is there a difference playing Roger than versus now?
Yeah. I feel a massive difference because I did Angels in America at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and I did a lot of necessary research on the HIV/AIDS virus, maybe a little too much, and the understanding of the disease lives very palpably in me now since I’ve done that show. So I feel like revisiting Roger with my understanding and knowledge of the disease - although imaginatively - has really changed how I played him.
Why do you think RENT, a play that came out in 1996, still resonates with audiences today?
I think RENT was a cultural phenomenon. It was one of the first big musicals that tackled AIDS and homelessness and had a really diverse cast. Musical theatre was overwhelmingly white on broadway.
I think the themes still resonate because it's about humanity. And I think about the HIV/AIDS crisis and I think we lost a lot of wonderful artists, and there are still people alive today who loved them. So I think what resonates is: it's a memorial to the people we lost to the disease, and it's about disenfranchised people who continue to be treated really poorly, especially in today’s political climate.
Very specifically, in Halifax there was a bunch of arts funding that has been cut by the provincial government. So a lot of the themes in RENT deal with artists losing performance spaces, with homeless people having nowhere to live and having no means of funding their art, of funding their lives. So that's a really palpable reality in Halifax right now and it's reflected directly in RENT.
What advice would you give your younger self around the age you decided to be an actor?
I would just tell myself to relax. You don’t have to be so good. Telling a story is more important than how you feel about yourself in it.
How does your queerness influence your artistry?
My queerness reflects everything I do, for better of for worse! Specifically I seek out work that serves my queerness and my queerness serves it. It gives me sensitivity and understanding of myself and I can bring that sensitivity into the work. I can use it to access a lot of shit I need to play interesting people.
RENT is running at Neptune theatre from July 7th to August 30th. Tickets are available from the box office.
James Gerus is a novelist, freelance writer and actor. He is the author of the novel The Muskoka Murders; his Instagram is here.
