Rent revival announces full creative team and new dates

The Hope Mill Theatre's upcoming production of Rent, which was meant to run this summer, has announced its full creative team and unveiled new artwork.

The show will now open on Friday 30 October and run until Sunday 13 December 2020, with the venue saying that "we would like to make it clear that Rent will only open If it is safe to do so and will comply with any government regulations given to venues. The venue will continue to review the situation as it develops."

The piece will be 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, sound design by Paul Gatehouse and casting by Pearson Casting.

Sheppard said: "When the time is right, we are more committed than ever before to bringing RENT to the Hope Mill Theatre. The strong themes of love and hope that drive the piece have never felt more vital. The production we have planned will be a celebration of what it means to experience live theatre, and I look forward daily to sitting in this amazing space on opening night."

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".

Casting to be announced soon.