Video

Rent at the Hope Mill Theatre: in rehearsals with the cast of the new revival

Watch as we go behind-the-scenes on the new production

The cast of Rent
The cast of Rent
WhatsOnStage went (at a social distance) into rehearsals with the cast of Rent to watch as they gear up for a run at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester.

The new revival of the cult classic is set to open at the end of this month, with the cast currently rehearsing in a bubble.

Appearing in the show are Jocasta Almgill as Joanne, Blake Patrick Anderson as Mark, Tom Francis as Roger, Ahmed Hamad as Benny, Dom Hartley-Harris as Collins, Millie O'Connell as Maureen, Maiya Quansah-Breed as Mimi and Alex Thomas-Smith as Angel.

Completing the cast are Kayla Carter, Allie Daniel, Isaac Hesketh and Bethany Terry.

The piece is directed by Luke Sheppard (& Juliet) with choreography by Tom Jackson Greaves, with musical direction by Katy Richardson, set and costume design by David Woodhead, LX design by Howard Hudson, projection design by George Reeve, sound design by Paul Gatehouse and casting by Pearson Casting. Artwork is by Feast Creative.

The Umbrella Rooms will be capturing the show, which will then be available for a limited number of audience members who purchase tickets for allocated dates. Audiences can register via the Hope Mill for priority booking.

The show will be presented online on 27, 28 and 29 November, 4, 5 and 6, 11, 12 and 13, 18, 19 and 20 December, with performances beginning at 7.30pm BST. Tickets go on sale on 9 October.

Based on Puccini's La Bohème, Rent follows a group of impoverished young artists who live in New York under the shadow of HIV/AIDs. After first premiering in 1996, the show first ran in the UK in 1998, with a film released in 2005. It has music, lyrics, and book by Jonathan Larson, with numbers including "La Vie Boheme", "Without You" and "Seasons of Love".

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