Coeurage Ensemble Presents Jonathan Larson's RENT Beginning This Month

Coeurage Ensemble, LA's Pay What You Want performance company, has announced its first in-person production since 2019 - a reimagined staging of Jonathan Larson's Rent. This is also the first production under the leadership of new artistic director Amanda McRaven; it will be directed by Reena Dutt with Rebecca Graul serving as musical director. There will be one preview performance on Friday, October 28, at 8pm and opening is set for Saturday, October 29, at 8pm. Performances will continue through November 19 only at Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, 1238 W. 1st Street in LA, 90026. The running schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 7pm. There will be an added performance on Monday, November 14, at 8pm. ASL interpreters will be provided on Thursday, November 3rd and Thursday, November 10.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Ricky Abilez, Ellie Aviles, Shanna Beauchamp, Sofia Bragar, Nyx Ciel, Sean Cruz, Shanelle Darlene, Mitchell Johnson, Graham Kurtz, Nicole Ledoux, Carrie Madsen, Kevin Matsumoto, Nicole Monet, Danny Moreno, Will Norris, Carlos Padilla Jr., John "Rusty" Proctor, Danni Spring, and Eddie Vona.

Scenic design is by Kirk Wilson, lighting design is by Azra King-Abadi, costume design is by Vicki Conrad, and sound design is by Dean Harada. Choreography is by Tasheena Medina. Intimacy director is Carly DW Bones, fight choreography is by Jo Ann Mendelson, and DEI consultant is Sarah Holder. The stage manager is Talya Camras, assistant stage manager is Pedro Armendariz, and graphic design is by Kyle T. Hester.

Loosely based on Puccini's La Bohème, Jonathan Larson's Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves, and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.

The Coeurage production of Rent will be staged in an inverted round, making the audience the center of its world and seeking to break out of commercialized ideas about the show. Coeurage uses its mission of community-conscious and intersectional theatre to shine a light on the show's focus on the housing crisis during the AIDS epidemic (and now) as well as the radical advocacy that guides the heartbeat of living in New York City.

Reena Dutt (Director) is dedicated to texts that catapult polarizing conversations through unexpected stories of the underheard. Upcoming: American Fast (Constellation Screen and Stage), Yellow Face (UC Riverside), and This is Not a True Story (Artists at Play). East: Lenfest @Columbia, Playwrights Realm, A.R.T. New York/Drama League. West: Artists Repertory Theatre, UC Riverside, Greenway Court Theatre, East West Players, Sacred Fools. Assistant/Associate Director: Manhattan Theatre Club, The Public Theater, and Geffen Playhouse. Fellowships: Drama League, LCT, DLW. www.ReenaDutt.com

Rebecca Graul (Musical Director) started working as an accompanist for live theatre at age 17 and has never stopped. With nearly 25 years of experience in musical direction, accompaniment, and vocal health, she specializes in demystifying all things theatrical. These days, she can be found all over Southern California (CTG, Pasadena Playhouse, LAUSD, PUSD, Coeurage), promoting conservatory music and theatre with the goal of making the arts accessible to all.

Admission to all performances is Pay What You Want. Reservations may be made online at https://www.coeurage.org/rent or by calling (323) 576-8193.

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