It's really special to work in my hometown says the Blackpool born choreographer of Rent in Concert

Rent in Concert, described as an “electrifying night of music, passion, and raw emotion” comes to the iconic Winter Gardens Blackpool on Thursday, April 17.

The cast is not only predominantly made up of Fylde Coast locals, but the talented performers are also been steered by another local talent - Blackpool born Ashley Luke Lloyd.

The former Bispham High School Arts College pupil, now 33, started his career on the stage as an actor and dancer but in recent years he has also moved into choreography- his latest project being the highly anticipanted Rent In Concert.

Before opening night, Ashley sat down for a chat with us to talk all things Rent, his career and of course Blackpool.

How have rehearsals been going?

“Oh I’m so excited. We had one of our final rehearsals in the rehearsal studio yesterday and it's just such an emotional piece, because the storyline, it talks on the awareness of HIV, how love is love, and whoever you love is accepted, and just seeing the performers last night, bringing that all together and telling the story, was just outstanding. And as a choreographer, the dancers are just working so hard, and it really is to a level that you see in London and the West End.”

Why did you want to get involved in this production?

“Being Blackpool born myself, it's really important and special for me to work in my hometown and also to see the talent. Getting to work on the Winter Gardena stage for myself and for them is incredible, with it being one of the biggest and most fantastic venues in Europe. I love the venue. I even, in lockdown, directed a biopic documentary with the Winter Gardens on all their history, and I think it’s so great that we have that platform here in Blackpool.”

How are you feeling about the piece finally getting shown to the people of Blackpool?

“I'm so excited. It's brilliant, it’s got a bit of everything for all different walks of life. You know, your dads that are going to be in the audience, the songs are so rocky, and then we've got really dynamic choreography, all the people who love the full musical experience, they're gonna get it. And, of course, the vocals as well, the harmonies, and having a cast of over 30, it's really powerful. So I'm very excited for people to see it, for people to see what we've created over the past three months."

For people who don't actually know what this show is, can you describe it?

“You're testing me now because it's a very elaborate story, but it's about a bunch of friends, and they go through disease, they go through lots of poverty, and it's how they come together, work together, keep the friendship alive and look after each other to move forward. Things might hit rock bottom but there's still a future and it's a story of hope, friendship and going through the journey of life and I think that's relative to you and me, both.”

Focusing on yourself now as a Blackpool local, how did you get into this career?

“So I was very lucky. My parents have a hotel opposite Central Pier -it actually turned 40 this year,- and when I was about eight years old, they had this crazy child in the hotel and they have to do something with it. So they sent me to Scream Theatre School and Tracy Bell, who runs it, she scouted me at that age and sent me off to London for an audition for Andrew Lloyd Webber. I started my West End career at nine years old in Whistle Down the Wind for Lloyd Webber. I was then in the original cast of Billy Elliot and worked with Elton John and Stephen Daldry so it was a very amazing, lucky platform for me to have around the corner, Scream Theatre School.

“I then went on to do further training and lots of different musicals, TV programs and films. I crafted my trade through working really, and I think that's why, going back to your first question, it’s really important to me that I come back from the West End and from the film studios in order to share my experience and what I've learned to people that are either training or working here.”

What advice would you give to young people in Lancashire spiring to be a dancer or choreographer?

“My biggest thing would be to work hard and never give up because with the theatre industry, it's a jigsaw piece. Not everybody's going to be right for every performance piece so you are going to get knocked back. But keep training, keep crafting and grafting because when you're in that room and you're right for that job, ten it's going to happen for you. I also think being a nice person is actually a really big one. People remember you and being respectful and generally nice is what people want when they're working with other people. Nobody wants to work with a diva unless you’re Mariah Carey and it's Christmas.

“In regards to choreographers, I'm still devising my own work and I think piecing things together yourself and showcasing that, you know, doing show reels, video reels, putting performance spaces on in church halls, inviting people to see things, it's really important to get your work out there. So just being innovative and creative and going for it. I mean, I've got a show that I've choreographed this evening that's happening in Blackpool in a secret location called J’adore so even myself, who has choreographed for big companies, I'm also putting my work to the platform through my own devices.”

If you started your career on stage as an actor and dancer, what made you move into also doing choreography behind the scenes?

“I just love it. I love being creative. I love painting pictures on stage and telling stories. I think storytelling is really important and what's wonderful about theatre is that people have their nine to five jobs, they have families and bills but theatre - and film and TV -it takes you away, even if it's just for an hour and a half, it's an escapism into a different world, taking audiences away from their everyday troubles.

Would you say that coming from Blackpool had any influence on why you went into the entertainment industry?

“Yeah, it’s written in the water, really, isn't it? There’s so much going on in the town and being a child at all the summer season shows at the Grand Theater and the Winter Garden- I always went with my Dad to see lots of things- I definitely think the friendliness of the town, and the air of entertainment is catchy. It certainly was for me so I'm sure it is for lots of people. There's just such a buzz and so much going on. I played Aladdin in The Globe Theater over the Christmas period at the Pleasure Beach and I used to go and see like Mystique and Eclipse there and I think that gave me a bug for it as well, seeing those incredible productions as a child, thinking, I want to do that. “

And why should people get tickets to see Rent in concert?

“You should get your tickets to see Rent because it is an incredible, talented cast. The vocals are going to blow you away, and the dancing is just on fire. I've been in rehearsals for three months, and they blow me away so if they blow me away, I'm sure they're going to blow you.”

Have you got anything else to mention to our readers?

“Just to say that the cast are working so hard, they give everything and I think the hard work is just going to prevail. It's incredible to see artists from Blackpool put their time in to create something really incredible. It's going to be a show not to be missed!”