RENT to Rock the Gateway in Bellport Village

RENT, Jonathan Larson's famed rock opera that changed the course of a generation, opens at The Gateway in Bellport Village on Wednesday, May 17 and runs through June 3. Tickets start at $59. For tickets, contact the Box Office at (631) 286-1133 or visit the website at www.TheGateway.org.

RENT is the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock opera that kicks off Long Island's oldest professional theater's 2017 Season. This revolutionary musical takes us on an unforgettable roller coaster ride through a year in the fascinating lives of aspiring artists in NYC's Alphabet City. Infused with explosive rhythms and tender pop ballads like "Without You," "Out Tonight," "La Vie Boheme," and the title song "Rent," this timeless celebration of friendship and hope, inspired by Puccini's La Bohème, reminds us to measure our lives with the only thing that truly matters-the "Seasons of Love."

Michelle Veintimilla plays Mimi. Miss Veintimilla is best known for playing super-villain Firefly in the second season of the Fox's acclaimed television series Gotham. She appeared as a younger Chita Rivera in the Broadway production of The Visit and to rave reviews as Maria in Philip William McKinley's production of Bernstein's West Side Story at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival. She will appear in the upcoming ABC TV comedy Downward Dog. Miss Veintimilla returns to her roots on Long Island and at Gateway having studied as a young aspiring performer in the Gateway School for the Performing Arts and appearing in countless youth and professional performances.

RENT also features Anthony Festa as Roger (Nat'l Tour: Wicked, Int'l Tour: West Side Story, Off B'way: Bare) Jeremy Greenbaum as Mark (Broadway: Newsies, Off Broadway: The Fantasticks, Tony Bennet in Concert), Natalie Storrs as Maureen (National Tour: Sister Act, Regional: Urinetown), Moeisha McGill as Joanne (Broadway: RENT, Motown the Musical, Mamma Mia), Andres Quintero as Angel (Nat'l Tour: Altar Boyz), Jared Dixon as Tom Collins (Regional: Sister Act, Hairspray), Kyle Robert Carter as Benny (Nat'l Tour: In the Heights).

The Seasons of love soloists will be Amma Osei (Broadway: Rock of Ages), and Amar Atkins. The cast is completed with Mike D'Amico, Jerome Doerger, Jay Gamboa, Alexa Jane Lowis, Dustin Sullivan, and Hannah-Jo Weisberg.

Matt Karris (Director) is a veteran of The Gateway of over 30 years having appeared on stage and directed numerous productions. He has been a core teacher in the Gateway Acting School, now The Gateway School for the Performing Arts, since the 1980s. As a director, Matt has been at the helm of such Gateway Productions as Jesus Christ Superstar, RENT, and more than 20 Children's Theatre musical productions, many of which he wrote himself. As an accomplished performer, Matt has toured nationally, appeared Off-Broadway and played leading roles at The Gateway such as Berger in HAIR, and Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors to name a few. He spent time in Los Angeles working in television launching original network programming for FOX TV. Mr. Karris also served as Artistic Director and Education Coordinator for Forces Creative Entertainment in Saratoga for over 5 years where he directed such productions as Ain't Misbehavin', Godspell and The Bad Seed. Other directing credits include Music Theater North and The Theater Barn.

The show will be choreographed by Gerry McIntyre. Gerry returns to Gateway after directing and choreographing Ain't Misbehavin', choreographing Priscilla Queen of the Desert and choreographed the 2012 production of 9 to 5 starring Sally Struthers. Other credits include: Once On This Island: Martin Beck Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Theatreworks (TBA AWARD, Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for choreography) La Mirada (Drama Logue Award- Best Director/Choreographer, Robby Award-Best Director, Ovation nomination best choreographer) Ain't Misbehavin'-Actors Theatre Of Louisville, Chicago- Reagle Players, Ogunquit Playhouse (BroadwayWorld Award), Soon Of The Mornin'- Lions Theatre, Dreamgirls-National Tour, Joseph......Dreamcoat starring Diana DeGarmo and Anthony Fedorov, Lyric Theatre. CHOREOGRAPHER: One Man Two Guvnors- Berkley Rep, Pioneer Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Festival: My Fair Lady, A Saint She Ain't, Tommy, A Chorus Line, Oklahoma, and Side By Side By Sondhiem. Connecticut Rep: Candide, Legally Blonde, Urinetown, and Hairspray (Connecticut Critics Circle Award) Soul Doctor- La Petite, Florida Tour. Sammy and Me- ALLIANCE THEATRE and Planet Hollywood Las Vegas, Laura Comstock Dog Punching Bag (LA Weekly Nomination), Spamilton-Triade Theatre, Forbidden Vegas- Weston Hotel. TELEVISION: "Rosie O'Donnell Show," "Designing Women," "Major Dad," and "Golden Palace." Gerry is the Director/ Choreographer in the documentary After the Storm.

Musical direction by Andrew Hale Austin. Andrew returns for his ninth show as music director at Gateway. For the past few years, he has been traveling as a conductor and teacher for several arts schools, theatres and universities, music directing almost 100 productions in his career. Recent theatres include Theatre Under The Stars in Houston, TX, Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute, Virginia Stage Company, and Virginia Musical Theatre in Virginia Beach. Recently, Andrew was named composer-in-residence for the Tidewater Opera Initiative, who presented his new opera, The Snow Maiden of Appalachia as a reading in January 2016. In May of last year, Andrew completed his doctorate in music composition at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, studying with Pulitzer Prize winning composer, Kevin Puts.

Book, Music and Lyrics for RENT are by Jonathan Larson, Musical Arrangements by Steve Skinner, Original Concept/Additional Lyrics by Billy Aronson. Music Supervision and additional arrangements by Tim Weil, Dramaturg, Lynn Thomson. RENT was originally produced in New York by New York Theatre Workshop and on Broadway by Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Allan S. Gordon and New York Theatre Workshop.

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