8 pm, Monday, October 26
Richard Rodgers Theatre
226 West 46th Street, NYC

Original cast members and a bevy of special guests will revive the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical sensation Rent in a gala concert celebration for the show’s 30th anniversary. The one-night-only concert of the full show will take place on Monday, October 26, at Broadway’s Richard Rodgers Theatre as a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

The evening’s presenting sponsor is ViiV Healthcare. Sponsorships and tickets will go on sale to the public at noon Eastern on Monday, June 1.

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Members of Broadway Cares’ Visionary Circle, Angels Circle and NextGen Network have early access to tickets. 

The one-night-only event of Jonathan Larson’s seminal work will be produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Andy Jones, founder of Baseline Theatrical. 

Rent’s original director, five-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif, will return to direct the evening.

“Jonathan wrote Rent in honor of the people he knew who were living and struggling with HIV and in honor of the many friends and contemporaries he lost to AIDS,” Greif said. “I know he’d be proud and honored to join forces with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS to celebrate the 30th year anniversary of his milestone musical.”

The show’s original music director, Tim Weil, also will return, leading the entire original Rent band: Kenny Brescia, Stephanie Mack, Jeff Potter and Daniel A. Weiss. 

Special guest performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

The poster art for the 30th anniversary concert has been designed by Naomi Mizusaki, who created the show’s first iconic ad, and Drew Hodges, who led the original design team for Rent.

“I really wanted to make something that has the spirit of the original, something as disruptive as the first,” Hodges said. ”That ad was as if the characters of Mark, Roger, Mimi, Angel, Collins, Maureen and Joann used a typewriter and Xerox machine to make their own ad. So we thought about what poster those same characters would make for the 30th, and built it on top of that first ad. We also wanted to make something that people who love Rent might keep and frame.”

Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical reimagines La Bohème in the AIDS-era East Village of New York City, following a tight-knit group of artists navigating love, loss and survival at the turn of a generation. With its electrifying score and deeply human stories, Rent captures the urgency of living fully in the face of uncertainty, a cultural touchstone that continues to inspire audiences to measure life in love. 

Rent was produced by Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum and Allan S. Gordon. It debuted at the New York Theatre Workshop before transferring to Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre in 1996. It played 5,123 performances, closing September 7, 2008.

“Few works have captured the urgency, humanity and resilience of a generation like Rent,” Danny Whitman, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, said. “Jonathan Larson provided a voice to communities and reminded us all of the power of compassion, care and showing up for one another. We are proud to carry that legacy forward every day, providing lifesaving meals, medication, health care and hope to people living with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses across the country. And through this extraordinary anniversary concert, that spirit of collaboration will translate into even more care and critical support for those who need it most today.”

Bithiah Lafontant, head of enterprise communications at ViiV Healthcare said: “Rent’s legacy is inseparable from the fight against HIV. In the 30 years since the show premiered, advances in HIV treatment – including long‑acting injectables – have transformed what’s possible, but the epidemic is far from over. ViiV Healthcare is proud to serve as presenting sponsor of this 30th anniversary Rent gala performance as a way to honor a powerful cultural legacy, while also calling attention to how far we still need to go.”

Jones began his career as an assistant company manager, then company manager, of the original Broadway production of Rent. After 10 years on the management teams of Rent, Avenue Q and In the Heights, he founded Baseline Theatrical in 2014 as a full service general management office for the theater. Baseline’s current Broadway lineup includes Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Hamilton and Proof.

Early access to tickets is offered to Broadway Cares’ Visionary Circle and Angels Circle members who provide essential support for those affected by HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses across the country with their annual contribution of $1,000 or more. Members of the NextGen Network are young professionals committed to making an impact. These major donors receive exclusive invitations to in-person and virtual events and VIP status at some of Broadway Cares most high-profile events, as well as a host of other benefits. For information about furthering your impact with Broadway Cares and receiving early access to tickets for the Rent 30th anniversary gala performance, contact Brian Marshall, senior development officer at marshall@broadwaycares.org.