RENT Comes to The Henry Clay in November

Pandora Productions brings Jonathan Larson's award-winning musical production of RENT to The Henry Clay with performances November 3 - 19. Tickets to all performances are now on sale at https://www.pandoraprods.org.

RENT is a rock musical by Jonathan Larson, inspired by Puccini's 1896 opera La bohème, set one hundred years later in Manhattan's Lower East Side. RENT gained critical acclaim, running on Broadway for twelve years and winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Musical. RENT is widely held as a pillar in the evolution of musical theatre, modernizing Broadway musicals, influencing a generation of artists, and laying the groundwork for hits from Spring Awakening to Hamilton. 

“While RENT is set in New York in 1996, the characters are fighting to live and love in the face of overwhelming oppression. They're facing houselessness, addiction, disease, and discrimination. They face the same decisions we are all facing now – do we hide, or do we reach out and create community,” said Gil Reyes, Pandora Productions' Associate Artistic Director, when discussing the operetta's relevance and Pandora's decision to produce the show. “In the face of COVID, do we continue to create theatre? And specifically in Kentucky, in the face of attacks on LGBTQIA+ rights and queer spaces, do we dare tell stories about the marginalized?”

“Community is central to Pandora's production of RENT and my vision of the show,” added Director Brian Gligor. Brian began his theatre career as an actor in New York City, with an early credit as Mark in the National & Japan Tours of RENT. “I was a RENT-head, waiting overnight for rush tickets – long before I had the opportunity to play Mark. I found ‘my people' in line, at the show, and eventually in the show, and that's what I want for Pandora. The show will feature an evolving artistic sculpture as a key component of the set and artwork created by the cast.” 

Michael Drury, Producing Artistic Director added, “The cast is heavily involved in the larger Louisville community and we hope to bring both their artistic experience and their passions for social causes to the stage.” Pandora will be partnering with organizations like Sweet Evening Breeze and VOCAL-KY to bring awareness to important social issues relevant to RENT.

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