Aspire Performing Arts Company Will Perform RENT: SCHOOL EDITION

This July, Aspire Performing Arts Company will present the musical Rent: School Edition at The Barn Theatre in Montville, NJ. 

Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent: School Edition is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, it has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.

Performances will take place on Friday, July 18 at 7:00PM, on Saturday, July 19 at 2:00PM and 7:00PM, and on Sunday, July 20 at 2:00PM. 

Rent: School Edition is directed by Joey Nasta, a New York City-based actor, director, and producer. At Aspire PAC, he previously directed She Kills Monsters, Newsies JR., and the pilot production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory JR. Recently, he performed as Monty Navarro in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder with the Light Opera of New Jersey and in Christmas at the Playhouse at the Hunterdon Hills Playhouse. Joey frequently works as a co-producer with off-Broadway producing collectives Honigman & Sons, and is Executive Producer of Spokehouse Productions, a site-specific theatre company that has produced work across NYC, from inside Vanderbilt mansions to Williamsburg bars.
 

The Production Team includes Lisa Beth Vettoso, Artistic Director/Producer; K. Leigh Weinman, Music Director; Melanie Della Peruti, Choreographer; Gina Gugliuzza, Stage Manager; Ren Bailey, Production Assistant; and Cheryl Wilbur, Production Manager. 

“Rent was a groundbreaking piece of musical theatre—raw, emotional, and deeply human,” says Artistic Director Lisa Beth Vettoso. “We’re thrilled to be working with this incredibly talented group of young actors as they take on such a challenging and meaningful show. Rent holds an important place in the modern musical theatre canon, and it’s exciting to see the next generation connect with its message of love, loss, and living without regret.”

The cast of 36 includes: Cast A: Jalan Royal as Mark, Sofia Morales as Mimi, Nicholas Bordoni as Roger, Catherine Golioto as Maureen, Kira King as Joanne, Ben Altstadter as Collins, Sydney Lind as Angel, Carsten Braun as Benny, Brynn Buckley as Mrs. Cohen, Gavin Ali as Mr. Jefferson, Violet Gatch as Roger’s Mom, Emily Arambulo as Mimi’s Mom; Cast B: Nathan Kossoy as Mark, Nicole Neyra as Mimi, Zachary Gray as Roger, Peyton Greenaway as Maureen, Emma Cieslik as Joanne, Matt Abad as Collins, Connor Byrne as Angel, Joshua Bienskie-Jackson as Benny, Megan MacDonald as Mrs. Cohen, David Shmulyian as Mr. Jefferson, Fiona MacLean as Roger’s Mom, Georgina Lopez as Mimi’s Mom. 

New Jersey Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. THE LITTLE MERMAID (HOWELL PAL THEATRE COMPANY)

3.1% of votes

2. HAIR (Vanguard Theater Company)

3% of votes

3. SCHOOL OF ROCK (Playhouse 22)

2.9% of votes

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