Meet Our Cast

This summer we are brought the spirit of 1920’s Harlem to The Key Theatre, with Darren Pritchard’s hit show, Rent Party.

Darren Pritchard recreated his original smash hit show to create Rent Party - Peterborough in July 2021. Five local professional performers, with fierce talent and a different viewpoint to the mainstream, stepped up to tell their stories and share their talents, supported by compere Stuart Bowden and Musical Director - Gavin Ashley-Copper.

Alexa Vox

Hailing originally from London and now living in the Fens, with a 30 year career anniversary looming, from the high seas to the glittering cabaret scene. Disney to Steinman and back. Alexa Vox brings her big voice and even bigger gowns centre stage. An electric musical theatre tour-de-force.

Charley Genever

Charley Genever tries to make the world a more honest place through vulnerable and unapologetic poetry. Living and working from Peterborough, she is a former Peterborough Poet Laureate, and vice-chair of Syntax Poetry. Since 2015, she has performed in theatres, pubs, and high streets across the country.

Mark McCredie

Mark is a performer and theatre maker based in Cambridgeshire. After training at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, towards an MA in Performance, Mark has worked regularly as a professional actor and singer. He has performed in a variety of areas of the industry including, theatre, screen, festivals, and concerts.

 

Summer Abraham

Summer Abraham combines her knowledge, passion and skill through movement. After 7 years of training and living in London she returned to Peterborough where her dance journey and love of hip hop began. She finds the most satisfaction from creating choreographies that empower women, explore femininity, sensuality and minimalism.

Teddi The Drag Queen

Teddi the Drag Queen came out of Edward wanting to express their joy and love of fashion and female, they have always felt kin with many women and possess alot of feminine energy. The first two years of their drag experience were attending parties in drag and finding out who Teddi was, before releasing her glorious self into the world.

 
Image of a man with white skin and brown hair. He is looking at the camera and wearing a blue checkered shirt.

Gavin Ashley-Cooper

Gavin, Rent Party’s Musical Director and resident pianist, went on to the University of Chichester where he trained as a pianist, organist, singer and conductor. During his time studying he played for a number of local societies both as rehearsal pianist and in the pit. He also studied for a degree in Theology at The University of Oxford, where he was director of Chapel Music at his college. Through this, he worked with musicians who are now world class in their field.

Image of a man with brown skin and black hair, he is looking into the camera and wearing a black hat.

Stuart Bowden

Stuart trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds alongside Rent Party Director, Darren Pritchard, where they both began to develop their careers in dance. Stuart began acting in Theatre with Darren when he was 11 and then went on to find a passion for dance. Stuart then came out of ‘retirement’ to star in Darren’s first run of Rent Party in Sheffiled, where he came out of his comfort zone in his first acting role.

Full Crew list:

Producer - Kate Hall

Director, Choreographer, Co-writer - Darren Pritchard

Assistant Producer - Emily Steele

Production Manager - Ethan Hudson

Captioning - Claire Hill

Key Theatre Technician - Sion Morris

Photography - Thomas Byron

Print Design - Paper Rhino

 

Have you been to see Rent Party? If so, let us know what you thought by filling out our Audience Survey linked below.

You can also post online about Rent Party by tagging us @JumpedUpTheatre and using the hashtag #RentPartyPeterborough!


More information about Rent Party, Peterborough:

Acclaimed choreographer and director Darren Pritchard is creating a cabaret-style theatre show for Jumped Up this summer. The show will be comprised of personal stories and talent from the heart of our city. Inspired by the style of 1920’s Harlem, this co-created show will be a celebration of Peterborough’s Fierce Talent. Rent Party was originally created with casts in Manchester and Sheffield (as pictured below) and will be remade to capture the character of Peterborough this summer.

What is a ‘Rent Party’?

RENT PARTY, a 21st-Century Austerity Britain immersive show inspired by the 1920s Harlem Renaissance Rent Parties. Like the 20s, we invite you the audience to pay to come to a party in our “flat”, so that we can make this month’s rent and entertain you with all our artist friends – dancers, singers, musicians, poets – who will create a kaleidoscopic picture of what it means today to be young, gifted, and … poor.. Being broke and outside the system never looked so fierce. (Text taken from www.rentparty.co.uk)


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