Pantseat Performing Arts is a Newcastle-based theatre company founded in 2007. Since then, they have devoted their time to providing young theatre performers with a safe and enriching environment to hone their skills in creating and performing theatre.
At the end of April this year, Pantseat took on the hefty endeavour of staging acclaimed Broadway musical, 'RENT'; a show about a group of young artists discovering themselves in New York City, all whilst coming to terms with their own involvement in the AIDS epidemic.
During the weeks leading up to the show, I was given the opportunity to help promote it. I shot cast headshots, photographed the last full dress rehearsal, and created some film content for the show's finale.
Owner and operator, Lia Bundy, expressed in the program how much this production resonated with her and her family, and I now understand why. The show struck me with a profound feeling of love - "measure your life in love", regardless of wealth, religion, race or sexuality.
Being an openly gay man myself, 'RENT' struck me as a beautiful tribute to those who have lost their lives to AIDS, or are still living with it today. It's an issue that has transcended generations to still be a central topic of discussion amongst the gay community, and the discussion can't stop here.
I'm insanely proud to have been asked to help promote the show, and can't wait to work with Pantseat again in the future.
I want to thank Lia and Matt Bundy for letting me come on board, and the entire cast and crew for being such a positive, welcoming group of creatives to work with.
Below are some of shots from the final dress rehearsal and the film I made for the show's finale, so take a look and let me know what you think :D
