ABOUT THE SHOW

Starring Buffalo presented REN on May 9th, 2026 at the historic Shea's Buffalo Theater in downtown Buffalo, NY. The show featured a principal cast of Broadway and Buffalo's best, alongside a 100-member chorus of community members.

Leading the cast were Drama Desk Award-Nominee Kennedy Kanagawa (Into the Woods) as Mark, Broadway's Ben Jackson Walker (& Juliet) as Roger, and American Idol's Alyssa Wray as Mimi. Joining them were Buffalo stars George L. Brown (Once On This Island - Tour), Jake Hayes, Alexandra McArthur, Kayla McSorley (NCL's Six), Blaise Mercedes, Jennifer Mysliwy, Joe Russi, and Josh Wilde.

The Starring Buffalo Community Chorus and professional and student dancers from the Western New York region appeared as well.

RENT, the pop culture phenomenon about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today, was performed in Starring Buffalo's signature staged concert format. Direction was by Drew Fornarola, with music direction by Karen Saxon, choreography by Chanon Judson, and stage management by Ally Hasselback. Emily Glick and Michael Russo were line producers.