Cast

Nick Afoa is a New Zealand-Samoan actor-singer excited to play the role of Collins in RENT. In his early years, he represented NZ in rugby, winning a Junior Rugby World cup title. After an injury, he ventured into community services post a Social Sciences degree as a Youth Counsellor. A Lion King audition caught his eye as this started his started his theatrical journey. His theatre debut was exactly 10 years ago in Sydney’s Capitol Theatre playing the role of Simba in The Lion King in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. He was then cast in the role in London’s West End for five years. Since returning to New Zealand, he has cast and co-directed the original production of Pacifica the Musical, which premiered in Auckland 2022. He made his film/TV debut in a feature film Mysterious Ways, released 2021. Other credits – Eye of Ngwenya 2021 – short film, production team Celebrity Treasure Island – NZ 2023, finalist

Martha Berhane is a multidisciplinary Eritrean artist based in Naarm/ Melbourne. Born in Canada and raised in Dubai, Martha grew up passionate about various hobbies before she was introduced to theatre in school and fell in love with her craft. Trained by Robert Sturrock and at the VCA, Martha made her professional debut in the critically acclaimed show Hamilton : An American Musical in Melbourne in March 2022, as a swing, for all three of the Schuyler Sisters (Angelica, Peggy, and Eliza). She would eventually take over the principal role of Eliza Hamilton in October of the same year. She went on to perform the role of Eliza Hamilton in the Brisbane and New Zealand seasons. Martha most recently performed in the Queensland Symphony Orchestra Musical Theatre Gala. Among various TVC advertising and music videos, Martha’s television credit includes the ABC series Mustangs FC, and the short film Wilco directed by Will Storr.

Carl De Villa (they/them) is an extraordinary and multi-talented performer, known for their remarkable journey in the entertainment industry. They made their mark on Australian television as a judge on Channel 7’s All Together Now and as a featured singer on The Voice, earning praise from Boy George for their captivating stage presence and vocal prowess. As an indie artist, Carl released the album “War Cry”, featuring original pop, soul, and RnB songs, with over 350,000 Spotify streams, showcasing their remarkable connection with audiences through music. Their versatility also shines in their cover of Freddie Mercury’s “Love of My Life,” adding dark and anthemic elements. Their recent release, “Deja Vu,” is a soulful pop ballad that demonstrates their musical range. In the theatrical realm, Carl has recently flaunted and landed the role as Lola for Kinky Boots (James Terry Production). They’ve also understudied the role of Thuy in Miss Saigon (Packemin Productions), graced productions such as 42nd Street (Regals Musical Society) and added humour and charisma as various emcees and portrayed Frank in Dreamgirls (Rockdale Musical Society). Carl’s passion extends to paying tribute to musical legends, with special shows dedicated to Prince, Queen, Bruno Mars, James Brown, and George Michael. Their dedication to the arts continues to inspire and entertain global audiences.

Finishing up his studies last year at NIDA, Tana is incredibly excited to make his touring debut as BENNY with RENT. This is after making his pro debut at the Hayes Theatre last year as Mitch Mahoney in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Knowing the importance of representation, and being of proud Samoan heritage, Tana is honoured to be a part of such a wonderfully diverse and talented cast in the boundary-pushing show; RENT.

In 2019 Noah made his professional debut in the Opera Australia/GWB world tour of West Side Story in the lead role of Riff. The production played at the Sydney Opera House as well as touring Australia, New Zealand and Germany. In 2020 Noah performed his first Cabaret show, a collection of songs and stories of his life as an expat kid living in Paris and San Diego and his love of theatre, the show debuted at Claire’s Kitchen on Oxford Street, Darlinghurst. He also achieved the role of Cy/ Jamie Understudy in the West End Award Winning, AUS/NZ Tour of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie! 2020/2021; which was sadly cancelled due to Covid. Noah was thrilled to return to the stage in 2021, reprising his role in West Side Story and to then be cast in the original Australian cast of Alanis Morrisette’s Jagged Little Pill (GWB Entertainment) which toured nationally throughout 2022. Most recently Noah was seen as Jean-Michel in La Cage Aux Folles (Showtune Productions) for the Sydney and Melbourne seasons and toured NSW starring as Banjo in Banjo Patterson (Got Ya Back Productions).

Calista is a proud kiwi born artist, originally from Tauranga, New Zealand but is now residing in Sydney. Following her graduation from the National Institute of Dramatic Art, she was fortunate enough to join the original cast of SHOWGIRL! aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, before making her professional musical debut as Lorraine in the New Zealand tour of Jersey Boys. Most recently, Calista graced Australian screens on the 2023 season of The Voice, where she made it all the way to the top 12 of the iconic competition. Calista feels extremely honoured to be making her Australian debut with LPD productions playing one of her dream roles in a show that has inspired her for years. She would like to thank Ministry of Entertainment for their ongoing support and her beautiful tribe of friends for their unconditional love, encouragement, and guidance.

Jerrod Smith is one of Australia’s most exciting young talents. As an actor, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, he is nonetheless still reluctant to toot his own horn … but here goes! This year, Jerrod was privileged to travel the country performing with some incredible legends of Australian rock n roll – the John Farnham band- and giving voice to our unsung heroes of the Vietnam war, playing the role of Tom in Rolling Thunder Vietnam. Recently Jerrod starred at the Sydney Opera House as Lysander in the world premiere of The Lovers, a ground-breaking new Australian musical by Laura Murphy. Jerrod is excited to have had the opportunity to showcase his incredible versatility as singer and performer. From the “irresistible Indie-voiced, Slurpee-loving psychopath” (JD in Heathers), to the whimsical “charming, unexpectedly believable” Lysander (The Lovers) to the gritty tough marine giving a “stellar performance capturing the essence of rock music” (Rolling Thunder Vietnam), Jerrod enjoys finding new and creative ways to challenge himself as a performer. Credits: Tom in Rolling Thunder Vietnam; Lysander in The Lovers; JD in Heathers; Bobby in Company; Judas in Godspell; Chino in West Side Story 60th Anniversary; Adam Pontipee in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

For many Australian audiences, the ‘First Lady of Soul and R&B’ is a description that takes stunning form in Thndo. A multi-faceted entertainer: Thndo is an artist whose work not only speaks truth to power, but as a performer, her presence radiates a natural warmth and charisma that has endeared her to audiences nationwide, for almost a decade. Since 2016, Thndo’s music has woven stories of strength, openness and conflict, with those of love, empowerment and sensuality – with flair. Her vocals, a fusion of rich range and buttery, soulful delivery, powered by a core sense of assuredness and authenticity that has never wavered. It is this sense of self and identity that has led Thndo to dominate stages around Australia in different formats; whether it be in theatre, headlining her own acclaimed shows, commanding festival crowds at events including WOMADelaide,Groovin The Moo, Woodford Folk Festival and BIGSOUND, or establishing herself as a popular household name with millions of Australians as a finalist of the 2022 season of The Voice Australia. A listener gravitates towards Thndo because found in her output, there is unabashed honesty and charm. Every performance of hers is a statement; her evolution easily traceable from her 2016 debut EP Digital Love Letters, across a string of impactful singles including ‘Numb’ (2018) ‘Gag Order’ (2019), and ‘Naked’ (2020), eventually leading to the creation of her most defining works to date – the Life In Colour EP and emphatic singles ‘Fall’, both released in 2022. The record highlighted Thndo’s power as a songwriter and a boldness in stepping forward and presenting observations from life lived growing up black in Australia, through her own unique lens. Building upon a stacked foundation of R&B, hip hop and Afrobeats influences, Life In Colour refused to shy away from confrontational topics including displacement and discrimination; yet it took a dedicated approach in illuminating Thndo’s pride in her heritage, and the life she has carved out for herself as a black woman in Australia – especially a black woman in Australia, in the arts. Since the release of Life In Colour and the success found as a result of her tenure on The Voice Australia, where she made the Grand Final, Thndo stepped into a new chapter of creative and personal fulfillment as 2023 breathed its first breaths.

Anna Francesca Armenia completed her training at the Ballarat Arts Academy (Bachelor of Arts, Music Theatre). Recent credits include Escaped Alone & What If If Only (Melbourne Theatre Company); Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Michael Cassel Group); RENT (The Court Theatre NZ); Charlie and the War Against the Grannies (CDP Theatre Producers). Other credits include Hamlet: Prince of Skidmark (Critical Stages Touring); SING on Tour (Universal Studios Japan); A Little Night Music (Watch This); Paw Patrol Live (Life Like Touring, Nickelodeon); Jason Coleman’s Razzle Dazzle (Ministry of Entertainment); In the Heights (StageArt). Film credits include Perfection is Terrible (Roman a Clef Productions). Anna Francesca has been a proud member of Actors Equity since 2015. She is proudly represented by Ian White Management.

Kelsi has worked professionally since the age of 11 when she was cast as Debbie Wilkinson in Billy Elliot at the Capitol Theatre. She then performed in the NSW School Spectacular as a Lead Vocalist for 6 years before starring as Belle in Beauty and the Beast (Packemin Productions) and graduating from the Talent Development Project (TDP). In 2014. Kelsi graduated with a Bachelor in Musical Theatre from the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2017, playing various roles during her studies in productions such as RENT, 42nd Street, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Heathers and Chicago. She then toured China and Japan as a Lead Vocalist on the Quantum of the Seas with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines before returning to Australia where she was selected as a finalist for the Rob Guest Endowment Award. Since returning to Australia, Kelsi performed the leading role of Scaramouche in We Will Rock You (Packemin Productions; 2021) and as Schapelle Corby in Schapelle, a new Australian musical she choreographed and co-developed. The show enjoyed sold out seasons at both the Adelaide Fringe Festival (2020) and the Sydney Comedy Festival (2021). In 2022 Kelsi played the role of Baby Joan/June in Anyone Can Whistle at the Hayes Theatre and the principal role of Meg Giry in The Phantom of the Opera with Opera Australia HOSH, a role she reprised for the European tour starting in Athens, Greece. Last year, Kelsi appeared on The Voice:Generations for Channel 7 where she was a Grand Finalist working alongside mentor, Jessica Mauboy. Kelsi is represented by T&E Management.

Born and raised in Durban, South Africa; Josslynn graduated from The University of Kwa Zulu Natal with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Drama Performance. Making her professional debut, ten years ago, in Australia, as Nala in Disney’s The Lion King Antelope Tour (2013) she then joined the German company; Der könig der löwen (2016). Upon returning home, Josslynn was cast as Petal in the remake of one of South Africa’s renowned musicals, King Kong (2017), where she received her first nomination, a Fleur du cap for the best performance by a supporting actress in a musical or in a music theatre show. She is no stranger to the screen, featuring in a number of tv adverts; a finalist in High School Musical Spotlight South Africa (2008); a top 16 contestant in IDOLS South Africa (2011); and starring in the short film uThando Lwethu as Lumka (2018). Josslynn then re-joined Disney’s The Lion King International Tour (2018) and UK & Ireland Tour (2019). Josslynn and her husband, who was her fiancé at the time, decided to return to his hometown Auckland, New Zealand to fulfil a dream of having a family. In the height of covid, they were blessed to get married and have a beautiful baby girl, Fetuilelagi, their star in the heavens.

A young trans performer from Naarm, Lawrence graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School in 2021. Currently studying a Bachelor of Music Composition at Box Hill Institute with additional vocal training under Gary May (GMV Studios).

Recent stage credits include Jason (J.D.) Dean in Heathers (OCPAC), Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd (WMTC), and Courfeyrac in Les Misérables (MDMS).

For screen Lawrence plays Theo Kaloudis on the recently remounted Neighbours (Amazon Studios/Network 10/Paramount+). Through his degree Lawrence has scored multiple Swinburne University student films.

Lawrence is thrilled to be having his professional theatre debut in RENT and still cannot believe he gets to be a part of telling this timeless story with such an amazing cast and company.

Hannah McInerney is an actor and musician from Sydney who graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre). Her theatre credits include Swing in FANGIRLS (Belvoir/Sydney Opera House) Ensemble in Catch Me If You Can (LPD/Hayes Theatre Company) Daisy in The Gathering (Vic Opera) Ilse in Spring Awakening, Ivy in Bare the Musical, and Ensemble/Rose Cover in Dogfight at Chapel Off Chapel. Hannah also tours Nationally/Internationally as a backing vocalist for her sister Meg Mac. In 2023, Hannah toured in Meg Mac’s Matter of Time National Tour, Splendour in the Grass, Formula 1 (Singapore) and the Australasian leg of Sam Smith’s Gloria tour.

A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts (2020), Sam (he/him) is a Melbourne/Naarm based singer, actor and musician. Sam was recently seen in Opera Australia’s Miss Saigon, as well as the Australian/South East Asian tour of Disney’s Frozen the Musical where he understudied the roles of Kristoff, Olaf and Weselton. Other theatre credits include Rolling Thunder Vietnam (Blake Entertainment), Gabe Goodman in James Terry Collective’s production of Next to Normal, Bonnie and Clyde (JRP Australia), Scarlet the concept recording (DHB theatrical) and the Adventures of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell in Return to Pantoland (Bonnie Lythgoe productions). Sam is thrilled to be joining the cast of RENT, a show in which inspired his love and passion for music theatre as a teenager. He is proud to be telling this story alongside a remarkable group of diverse voices for Australian audiences in 2024. Sam is represented by Ian White Management.

Born and raised in Naarm/Melbourne, Chad (he/they) has always had a passion for performing since they were a child. Chad completed a Diploma of Music (Music Theatre) at The Australian Institute of Music in 2019. They went on to graduate from Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance with a Diploma of Musical Theatre in 2021. Chad is proud to have appeared in the Greenroom nominated 2020 video phenomenon I Need You To See Me written by Vidya Makan, alongside 100 other emerging performers of colour. In 2023, Chad featured in the Original Australian Production of Bearded the Musical, as well as Antipodes’ production of Guys & Dolls. Chad is excited to be making their professional musical theatre debut in RENT.

Theo stepped onto the Newcastle theatre scene aged 10 with Metropolitan Players’ South Pacific in the role of Jerome and has been in love ever since. Performing through his childhood and teen years with Pantseat Productions and Hunter Drama, he was also a lead vocalist for the HSPA Senior Stageband, received the Tenor Excellence Award in the Senior Vocal Ensemble and was the Captain of the Senior Choir. He was also a regular face at STARSTRUCK as a featured vocalist. Theo made other appearances with Metropolitan Players, CHOOKAS, Opera Hunter and The Very Popular Theatre Company in recent years before his professional career began. The Australian premiere of Passing Strange 2022 with Antipodes Theater Company in Melbourne was his debut, where he benefited from his experience under the direction of Dean Drieberg and Cessalee Stovall. Theo started his 2023 touring the East Coast of the country, hitting the National Theatre of Paramatta, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong town Hall and the Canberra Theatre Centre with the Australian Premiere of Acadamy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy, in the role of David, directed by Dino Dimatriadis and Zindzi Okenyo.

Mariah Gonzalez is a multi-talented artist based in Sydney, and an alumna of Brent Street, Australia’s renowned performing arts school. She has a rich history in professional work across TV and Musical Theatre from a young age. In early 2022, Mariah took on the role of Diana Morales in A Chorus Line with Darlinghurst Theatre Company, followed by originating the role of Annabelle in The Deb, a production directed and written by Hannah Riley at the Rebel Theatre, ATYP. She then joined the cast of L’Hotel in the immersive show choreographed by Lucas Newland and performed at the Sydney Opera House. Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Entertainment Business Management at JMC, Mariah is excited to embrace the responsibilities of covering the lead role of Mimi, ensemble swing, and dance captain in her dream show, RENT.

Sam Harmon is a Sydney based actor and performer who graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art Music Theatre course (NIDA) in 2019. Sam was most recently seen as Kip/John Merrick Understudy in the award winning musical The Marvellous Elephant Man touring the Fringe Festival circuit (Floating World Entertainment). Prior to this he appeared as Ensemble/Cover in Metropolis (Hayes Theatre Co. & The Little Eggs Collective), Harry in Kinky Boots (Packemin Productions), Starstruck (RGM Productions & NIDA Theatres) and Justin Bieber in The Bieber Fever Tribute Show/Tour (Premier Entertainment). Sam has also appeared in numerous advertising campaigns including Myer, McDonald’s, and Meat Livestock Australia. He co-starred in the short film The Other Loss, selected for the Lift Off Global Network film festival in 2021. Sam is proudly represented by T&E Management.