RENT is the First Musical for New Sutherland Theatre
This March 22-26th, Sydney’s Miranda Musical Theatre Company (formerly Miranda Musical Society) will be bringing rock-musical Rent to the Sutherland Shire.
Rent will be the debut musical performance in the brand-new Pavilion Performing Arts Centre in Sutherland, which recently underwent two years of council renovations and upgrades and has only just re-opened to the public.
The production will also mark the first show cast for Miranda Musical Theatre Company (MMTC) since the COVID-19 pandemic, after the limitations on live theatre and the ongoing renovations put a halt on their usual three-show calendar year. However, the forced hiatus didn’t stop the company from continuing to plan for the future, officially reinventing their brand into Miranda Musical Theatre Company in January 2023. The choice to update their name and brand was designed to welcome in a contemporary audience, whilst still celebrating their heritage in the community as a leading producer of high-quality musical theatre productions.
Based loosely on Puccini's La Boheme, Rent is a pop-cultural phenomenon that follows a group of impoverished young artists living in New York’s Lower East Side, learning to love and find their voice amidst the backdrop of the growing AIDS/HIV epidemic in the 1990s. This Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical continues to resonate with audiences nearly three decades after it opened on Broadway, written by musical legend Jonathan Larson, who sadly passed away on the day of Rent’s first preview performance. His legacy continues to live on through Rent, as well as his other most famous work Tick, Tick...Boom!
MMTC’s production of Rent will be directed by Garth Saville, with musical direction by Danielle Fuller and choreography by Mia Pimentel. The staging of the show will also highlight the incredible new features of the Pavilion Performing Arts Centre including an impressive fly tower, state of the art lighting and sound, and improved patron experience including greater accessibility, seating and bar areas.
Rent will also feature a range of talented performers and creatives from around the Sutherland Shire and St George regions including Natasha Tsafis (Illawong) as Mimi, Rachel Amanda Thomas (Rockdale) as Joanne, Haji Myrteza (Rockdale) as Collins and Daniel Simpson (Kareela) as Benny. The production also features Sam Anderson as Mark, Tyler Hoggard as Roger, Jess Hoggard as Maureen and Barry Backhouse as Angel. The remaining ensemble consists of 12 singers, dancers and actors.
MMTC President Meredith Simpson says, “We are very excited to be bringing Rent the musical to the new Pavilion Performing Arts Centre. The Sutherland Shire Council invested over $40 million in renovating and refurbishing this historical theatre, with a focus on creating a hub in the community allowing people to access and experience world class entertainment, and we are honoured to be given the first opportunity to produce a musical in this space and showcase to the community all it has to offer.”
Rent will run from March 22-26 at the Pavilion Performing Arts Centre in Sutherland (30 Eton Street, Sutherland) with six exclusive performances only.
Wednesday 22nd at 8pm, Thursday 23rd at 8pm, Friday 24th at 8pm, Saturday 25th at 2pm and 8pm and Sunday 26th at 2pm
For further information, visit: www.mirandamusicaltheatrecompany.com
To purchase tickets, visit: www.premier.ticketek.com.au
Images: Lukeography
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