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The Old Academy Players Presents the Award-Winning Rock Musical RENTPhiladelphia, PA — As part of its 2026-2027 Season, The Old Academy Players is proud to present the rock musical RENT by Jonathan Larson. The Old Academy Players' 555th production will run November 6-27, 2026; Friday and Saturday performances at 8:00 pm and Sunday matinées at 2:00 pm. It is presented by special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
RENT contains adult themes and language and may not be suitable for young audiences.
The musical was first seen in 1993 in a workshop production at New York Theatre Workshop, the off-Broadway theatre which was also where the musical began performances on January 26, 1996. Sadly the show's creator, Jonathan Larson, died suddenly of an aortic dissection the night before. The musical moved to Broadway's larger Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996.
RENT was the 1996 winner of multiple awards including 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. Loosely based on the 1896 opera La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini, Luigi Illica, and Giuseppe Giacosa, RENT is set in New York City’s East Village in the early 1990s. Following a group of impoverished young bohemians, artists, musicians, and performers struggling to pay bills and survive in the shadow of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and create art. The story centers on a filmmaker and an HIV-positive musician navigating love and loss alongside friends: an addict, a drag queen, and a performance artist.
Old Academy Players' stellar cast includes: Josh Tull as Mark Cohen, Kyle Mitchell as Roger Davis, Jane Vitelli as Mimi Marquez, Matt Iocovielo as Angel Dumott Schunard, Gregory Kooker as Tom Collins, Carson Long as Maureen Johnson, Alyssia Sims as Joanne Jefferson, and Bob Gordon as Benjamin Coffin III. Ensemble members of the cast play multiple roles/characters and include: Alexa Archer, Emily Browning, Haley Dunning, Ariana Gill, Cameron Moy, Isaura Sanguinetti, Guy Sims, Wyatt Underwood, and Christopher Wunder.
RENT is directed by Annie Hnatko and produced by Steve Hnatko. Choreography is by Carson Long.
Ticket prices are: $25 per adult; $15 for Students under 25 with valid ID; group rate (15 or more) $21 each. Tickets can be purchased online at www.OldAcademyPlayers.org. Reservations and more information can be obtained by calling the Box Office at 215-843-1109. Advance tickets are highly recommended. Old Academy Players is located at 3544 Indian Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129. Parking for all performances is free.
The Old Academy Players has provided continuous community theater entertainment since 1923 and is a non-profit community theater in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Constructed in 1819, the Old Academy building has been the OAP home since 1932. Old Academy Players is a member of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Most notable alumni include Tony Award-nominated actor Robert Prosky and Hollywood icon, Grace Kelly. Support is provided by the "Philadelphia Cultural Fund" and the "Sylvia W. and Randle M. Kauders Foundation".
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3544 Indian Queen Ln, Philadelphia, PA, United States, Pennsylvania 19129
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