Harbor Lights to Continue RENT Tradition with Student Rush Tickets

Harbor Lights is thrilled to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of RENT -- and to launch its own student rush rickets with their production of the show that started it all!

RENT student rush tickets are available for every show. RENT is running September 18 through October 4th in the Music Hall at Snug Harbor.

A minimum of 20 student rush tickets per show will be available at $20 cash per ticket with valid student ID. The line for these tickets will begin one hour before the performance: distributed by 7:30 for evening shows and 1:30 for matinees.

"Harbor Lights wants to give all young people an opportunity to see RENT, or see it again (this show is particularly known for repeat customers), at an affordable price. This show really helped launch the idea of Student Rush Tickets. Now 20 years later, we want to keep that commitment. We want to encourage students to embrace live theater and to develop theater going as a life-long habit." said Executive Artistic Director Tamara Jenkins.

Many Broadway shows now offer student rush tickets in an effort to make theater going affordable to students.

Harbor Lights' production of this landmark 1996 Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning musical will be helmed by award winning director Alex Perez. Mr. Perez has a long history with show, having toured with it nationally, and having directed seven previous productions.

"When we decided we wanted to do RENT to celebrate the show's 20th year, we were clear that we didn't want a re-mounting. We did not want a carbon copy. We wanted a new vision for the show. We wanted a fresh, young, cast -- not of imitators, but of real people. We have found a superbly talented cast to bring the show to life at Harbor Lights and a director with a clear, new vision," added Ms. Jenkins.

Concerning his new vision of the show, director Alex Perez stated, "This production will have a fresh retelling - told with strong movement and dance. Jonathan Larson stated in interviews how he really wanted RENT to be the new 'MTV for Broadway'. What was imperative for MTV at the time, and was prevalent then, were music videos with strong, bold choreography and visuals. I'm treating the show as a long form music video. Telling the story through dance, and the timeless music of Jonathan Larson. It's enough to satisfy RENT fans, and to intrigue new audiences. Storytelling through movement and song. That's where we give it a fresh new look after 20 years."

Based on Puccini's La Boheme, RENT transfers Puccini's young artists to New York City's East Village and bohemian Alphabet City at the end of the millennium. RENT is a celebration of friendship, survival, and the struggle to find meaning in life. RENT's rollicking score boasts "One Song Glory," "Take Me or Leave Me," "I'll Cover You," and the now iconic pop anthem "Seasons of Love."

The cast features Travis Artz (Roger), Nick DeVito (Mark), Denzel Edmondson (Benny), Madeline B. Fansler (Joanne), Monte J. Howell (Collins), Michael J. Mainwaring (Angel), Emily Jeanne Phillips (Mimi), and Zuri Washington (Maureen.)

Filling out the cast are Philip Bolton, Hannah K. MacDonald, Nate McClure, Gavyn Pickens, Ben Rosenbach, Michael Sheehy, and Josephine Spada.

Charles Santoro is the Musical Director; Kia Rogers will handle Lighting Design, Nathaniel Butler Sound Design, Carl Tallent Set Design, and Kurt Alger the costume design. Natalie Wisniewski is Props Mistress, the Production Stage Manager is Brendan O'Brien, the Assistant Stage Manager is Chris Luner, and the Technical Director is Michael Mastromarino.

Visit www.hltc.org for more information.

Harbor Lights is the first and only professional Equity Theater Company in Staten Island's history. Since founding Harbor Lights in 2010, Broadway veterans and Harbor Lights Founding Artistic Directors Tamara Jenkins and Jay Montgomery, have begun building a bridge from Broadway to Staten Island, bringing the nation's best to work with their community's finest. In four seasons of producing plays and musicals, Harbor Lights has presented over 75 Broadway professionals, including Tony, Grammy, Oscar, Emmy, Drama Desk, and Obie award-winning and - nominated artists, in sixteen productions at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Gardens. www.hltc.org.

Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is one of the largest ongoing adaptive reuse projects in America. It consists of 26 historical buildings, numerous distinctive botanical gardens and 10 acres of wetlands on a unique 83-acre campus in Staten Island. Formerly Sailors' Snug Harbor, a home for retired sailors built in the 1800s, Snug Harbor is now a distinguished regional arts center where history, architecture, visual art, theater, dance, music, environmental science and botanical gardens provide dynamic experiences for all ages. Snug Harbor is also home to the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, the Noble Maritime Collection, Art Lab, Staten Island Children's Museum, and the Staten Island Museum. Snug Harbor is a proud Smithsonian affiliate. Visit us at www.snug-harbor.org, follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.

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