RENT 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour Coming To Kimmel Cultural Campus

The Kimmel Cultural Campus will present the return of the RENT 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour, back by popular demand, in the Kimmel Cultural Campus' Merriam Theater on March 4 - 6, 2022. Additionally, former Kimmel Education student and Philadelphia native Shafiq Hicks, a graduate of the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts and a voice major at Temple University, will star in the role of 'Tom Collins.'

Deeply committed to the health and safety of guests, artists, and staff and proudly certified by GBAC, the gold standard for infection prevention programs, the Kimmel Cultural Campus is requiring masks to be worn at all times for guests attending on-Campus events, as well as proof of vaccination for those over 12. Guests under 12 will be required to show a negative PCR test result or negative rapid test. Additional details below.

"Providing 100% free arts education programs to our city's youth is a prime focus and core initiative on our Campus - educating, engaging, and inspiring the next generation of future performers, audiences, and cultural enthusiasts," said Frances Egler, senior director of programming and presentations on the Kimmel Cultural Campus. "We are thrilled to couple this return of the always popular RENT with another homecoming for one of our ShowStoppers musical theater alums, Shafiq Hicks, starring in the production as the beloved 'Tom Collins'."

For a quarter of a century, Jonathan Larson's RENT has inspired us to choose love over fear and to live without regret. This Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning phenomenon follows a year in the lives of a diverse group of artists and friends struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. It has become more than a musical - it's a cultural touchstone, a rite of passage and a source of joy and strength for millions. RENT has become a part of us forever.

Tours of RENT have crisscrossed the country almost continuously since 1996, with the latest tour alone playing 5 countries, 237 cities, and 1,005 performances. RENT received its world premiere off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop on February 13, 1996 to ecstatic reviews and transferred to Broadway on April 29, 1996. RENT won the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The musical has been translated into every major language and has been performed in 27 countries across six continents.

Based on original direction by Michael Greif (Tony and Drama Desk Nominations, RENT), Evan Ensign re-stages the 25th Anniversary Tour. Original Broadway creatives Marlies Yearby (Choreography) and Angela Wendt (Costume Design) are joined by Jonathan Spencer (Lighting Design), Keith Caggiano (Sound Design), Dave Pepin (Music Supervisor), Owen Johnston (Associate Choreographer), and Matthew E. Maraffi (adapting original scenic design by Paul Clay) to make up the creative team for the tour. Casting for the tour is by Wojcik | Seay Casting.

Whether you've never seen RENT or have completely lost count, you can't miss it this time around - the 25th Anniversary "Farewell Season of Love" is your FINAL CHANCE to experience this celebrated touring production.

The RENT 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour is produced by Work Light Productions, whose other touring productions this season include the 2016 Olivier Award-winning production of Jesus Christ Superstar, a new production of An Officer and a Gentleman, and the First National tour of Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations.

For more information, visit: www.rentontour.net.

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