Photos: Go Inside Opening Night of Porchlight's RENT

Porchlight Music Theatre's production of the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, RENT, music, lyrics and book by Jonathan Larson, at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St. has opened, and will run through Sunday, Nov. 27. The production is directed by Adrian Abel Azevedo, music directed by Dr. Michael McBride and choreographed by Laura Savage.

Check out photos from the opening night below!

The performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3:30 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with weekday matinees Thursday, Nov. 10 at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 17 at 1:30 p.m. and Friday, Nov. 25 at 3:30 p.m. There are Post-Show Discussions scheduled Friday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m and Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1:30 p.m. and Open Caption performances Saturday, Nov. 19 and Saturday, Nov. 26 at 3:30 p.m. Subscriptions to Porchlight's 28th season are now on sale and may be purchased through the Box Office by calling 773.777.9884 or by visiting PorchlightMusicTheatre.org. Single tickets for RENT start at $25 and are now on sale.

Over the last 25 years, RENT, a Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical based loosely on the 1896 Italian opera La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini, has become a cultural phenomenon with millions of fans around the world. Porchlight's production celebrates this legacy and adds a new page to the story of a year in the life of a diverse group of artists struggling to survive and create in Lower Manhattan's East Village under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. In the thriving days of bohemian Alphabet City at the end of the millennium, these friends are determined to follow their dreams without selling out.

The cast for RENT includes Bridget Adams-King (ensemble/Maureen US); Wesly Anthony Clergé (swing/Collins US); Naphtali Curry (ensemble/Benny US); Leah Davis (ensemble/Joanne US); Caitlin Dobbins (swing); Lucy Godínez (Maureen Johnson); Nick Johnson (swing/US Angel); Chris Khoshaba (ensemble); Nik Kmiecik (ensemble/US Mark); Teressa LaGamba (Joanne Jefferson); Eric Lewis (Tom Collins); David Moreland (Mark Cohen); Ziare Paul-Emile (Swing/Mimi US); Alix Rhode (Mimi Marquez); Abraham Shaw (Benjamin "Benny" Coffin III); Josh Pablo Szabo (Angel Dumott Schunard); TJ Tapp (dance captain/ensemble); Brennan Urbi (ensemble/US Roger) and Shraga D. Wasserman (Roger Davis).

The RENT band includes Dr. Michael McBride (conductor/keyboard); Jacob Levi Walsh (guitar 1), Cesar Romero (guitar 2), Marcel Bonfim (bass) and Lior Shragg (drums).

The RENT production team includes Adrian Abel Azevedo (director); Laura Savage (choreographer); Dr. Michael McBride (music director/conductor); Frankie Leo Bennett (assistant director, producing artistic associate); Isaiah Silvia-Chandley (assistant choreographer); Kirsten Baity (intimacy designer); Ann Davis (scenic designer); Gregory Graham (costume designer); Maggie Fullilove-Nugent (lighting designer); Josiah Croegaert (associate lighting designer); Matthew R. Chase (sound designer); Smooch Medina (production designer); Rowan Doe (properties designer); Wilhelm Peters (production stage manager); Andrea Enger (assistant stage manager); Kevin Vilchez (assistant stage manager); Johnnie Schleyer (scenic supervisor); Rachel West (lighting supervisor); David Sabbagh (audio assistant); Deborah Blumenthal (dramaturg); Majel Cuza (production manager); Alex Rhyan (production & operations director) and Michael Weber (artistic director).

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE

Porchlight Music Theatre, now in its 28th season, is the award-winning center for music theatre in Chicago. Through live performance, youth education and community outreach, we impact thousands of lives each season, bringing the magic of musicals to our theatre home at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts in the Gold Coast and to neighborhoods across the city. Porchlight has built a national reputation for boldly reimagining classic musicals, supporting new works and young performers, and showcasing Chicago's most notable music theatre artists, all through the intimate and powerful theatrical lens of the "Chicago Style."

Porchlight's history over the last 27 years includes more than 70 mainstage works with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Porchlight's commitment to the past, present and future of music theatre led the company to develop the Porchlight Revisits and New Faces Sing Broadway program series, both quickly becoming audience favorites.

Porchlight's education and outreach programs serve schools, youth of all ages and skill levels and community organizations, most notably the ongoing collaboration with Chicago Youth Centers. Porchlight annually awards dozens of full scholarships and hundreds of free tickets to ensure accessibility and real engagement with this uniquely American art form.

The company's many honors include 178 Joseph Jefferson Award (Jeff) nominations and 49 Jeff awards, as well as 44 Black Theatre Alliance (BTA) nominations and 15 BTA awards. In 2019, Porchlight graduated to the Large Theatre tier of the Equity Jeff Awards and has been honored with seven awards in this tier to date including Best Ensemble for Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies (2019) and Best Production-Revue for Blues in the Night (2022).

Through the global pandemic, Porchlight emerged as one of Chicago's leaders in virtual programming, quickly launching a host of free offerings like Sondheim @ 90 Roundtables, Movie Musical Mondays, Porchlight by Request: Command Performances and WPMT: Classic Musicals from the Golden Age of Radio. In 2021, Porchlight launched its annual summer series, Broadway in your Backyard, performing at parks and venues throughout the city.

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