Rock musical Rent a triumph at Shrewsbury theatre

A group of talented youngsters wowed Shropshire audiences with a performance of a ground-breaking rock musical.

Students from Stage 2 Performing Arts Academy performed Rent: School Edition at Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury yesterday.

The Tony Award-winning musical has become a pop culture phenomenon and was brought to life by a cast of around 40 teenagers – all under the age of 18.

The epic musical includes songs such as Seasons of Love, Out Tonight and One Song Glory. Lucy Lowrie Herz, who runs the stage school, said: "It went brilliantly and was really successful.

"It's not a show that is done very often but the kids did it so well and it they completely nailed it and gave a very professional performance. They did really well."

The performers also tackled some hard-hitting themes during the show including HIV in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

She added: "Obviously with it being such a emotional storyline there were lots of tears backstage after the show.

"The kids have worked so hard for this, practising three times a week."

The show took place in the Walker Theatre at Theatre Severn as the group staged two performances across the day.

Stage 2 Performing Arts Academy is a non-audition school for all ages which encourages children, teenagers and adults to indulge their creative personalities. It runs classes throughout the week including drama, musical theatre, ballet and tap.