(UNION, NJ) -- Kean Theatre Conservatory presents Rent on Thursday, December 12, 2024 at Enlow Recital Hall.  The product of a semester-long rehearsal period, this will be smartly staged as a concert performance. Suggestions of costumes, scenery, and props will add to the overall effect which is intended to be focused on the actors' process. Showtime is 7:30pm.

Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent 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, Rent has become a pop cultural phenomenon, with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.

Rent features a Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson. The production is directed by Holly Logue.

Based loosely on Puccini's La Boheme, Jonathan Larson's Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.

Tickets are $15 for the public ($12 for seniors and alumni) and available for purchase online. Enlow Recital Hall is located at 215 North Avenue in Hillside, New Jersey.  NOTE: Rent contains partial nudity, sexual innuendos, mature themes and strong language.  Not recommended for children under 16.

At the Kean Theatre Conservatory, a shared passion for live performance unites a diverse group of students and an outstanding faculty. This vibrant community of theatre artists is dedicated to crafting compelling stories to share with audiences, showcasing Kean students who are turning their talent into their life's work.