EVOLVE Theatre Production's RENT The Musical

Aim

RENT the musical is coming to Exeter and we need your help! Measure in love and help us create a show which celebrates LOVE and ACCEPTANCE

Due to the effects of COVID-19 small businesses like ours need your support. The themes of RENT now are more important than ever as we live through a health pandemic which is affecting the whole world. 

About EVOLVE Theatre Productions

EVOLVE Theatre Productions is a new theatre company based in Exeter, Devon founded and run by young people aged 19-30 with expertise in all areas of theatre performance and production. We are the only theatre company in the region that provides young people with the opportunity to gain practical experience and learn directly from theatre industry professionals. EVOLVE wants to put young people at the heart of theatre providing them with opportunities to grow and learn. After our very successful first show, West End to Broadway we have chosen to put on our first full-length musical this year, RENT. 

We really appreciate all your support! Any profits made from this project will be put back into the company to help us continue to allow young people to develop their skills in theatre performance and production. 

About the Project 

Rent is a wonderfully inclusive musical centring around struggling artists desperate to survive in NYC and brings audiences a group of misfits that aren’t your typical Broadway or West End leads.  This Tony Award-Winning Musical covers themes such as the AIDS epidemic of the 80s/90s, addiction, sexuality, and economic disparities in the US. RENTs’ success paved the way for other shows to boldly tackle hard issues in society.

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.

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 provide the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.

How The Money Will Be Spent

All the money raised will be put back into the company and will go towards funding every aspect of the production. There are a number of expenses that come with putting on a show and as a new theatre company, we need to raise enough to hire the venue, pay for costumes, props, musicians, technical equipment, set, insurance, programs and posters.  

As our creative and production team mentors will be comprised of professionals they will need to be paid. Putting on a production is a huge task and alongside this our mentors will also have the added responsibility of teaching their mentee. Our mentorship scheme is what makes EVOLVE different from all of the other theatre companies in and around Exeter. In order to continue with this program and hopefully expand it, we need your help!

Milestones 

When we have reached certain milestones members of the cast will do something special to commemorate each target.

£500 - A live uncensored Q & A with the cast

£2000 - A few of our cast members will be doing a sleep rough night in Exeter 

£3000 - Three of our cast members will be getting a tattoo of a lyric from the show “no day but today”

£5000 - We will be releasing a trailer for our upcoming production of RENT

£8000 - Anyone who wants to can submit their name and we will draw one lucky winner to come and perform a song with us on the main stage at Exeter Pride 2nd May 2020. 

This project successfully funded on 6th May 2020