Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E. Walnut Street in downtown Asheville, will present the musical Rent February 18 through March 6. The production is directed by Jeff Catanese who recently played the narrator in A Christmas Story and has directing experience in New York City through Attic Salt Productions.

This powerful story follows a group of Bohemians struggling in modern day New York. Based on Puccini’s opera La Boheme, Rent tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive under the shadow of HIV/ AIDS in New York’s Lower East Side. All the while, they seek to create powerful art in the form of music, film, and performances. It includes such memorable songs as “No Day But Today” and “Seasons on Love.” The story weaves together romance, death, and betrayal woven with songs that make this production unforgettable.

Rent was the winner of four awards at the 1996 Tony Awards including the award for Best Musical, and it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1996. Written by Jonathan Larson, the rock opera was also based on the playwright’s life experiences, as he, too, lived impoverished in New York as an artist and lost friends to HIV/AIDS.

Performances are at 7:30 P.M. on Fridays and Saturdays, and Sundays at 2:30 P.M. Tickets ($22 for adults, $19 for seniors and students) are available online at ashevilletheatre.org or by calling 828.254.1320.