Meet the Cast of Rent: Khuda Bee

Rent runs from Thursday 17th September until Saturday 19th at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre, Woking - You can book here.

"When I watched Rent (which was the first ever musical I watched live) I knew I had to be in theatre"

Rent has a vast array of characters, so many of our cast get to play multiple roles.

Name: Kudakwashe Bere

Character Name/Role: Pastor and Ensemble

Tell us about your characters: As The Pastor my role is pretty simple, as you might have guessed, I am in charge of the church. In the ensemble I have multiple roles. As one of the police who, for some reason, have something against the homeless - and I love it (obviously not the concept, but the action on stage). I am also a student when I am not the above two.

Khuda in rehearsal, with Matt Hough, Frankie McKean & Akhil Gowrinath (Photo courtesy of Front of House Photography )

Is there anything in your own life that helps you connect with your characters? As a student, I guess it is easy to portray the character.

What’s your favourite song in the show and why? ‘Goodbye Love’ because it challenged me to think about who I am as, in life today, everyone know about what’s going on around them, especially social media, but the truth is that most people do not know or realise who they are as a person.

What other shows have you done? Beauty and the Beast as Gaston, In The Heights as Benny, Little Shop of Horrors as The Plant ‘Audrey ll’, Genesis as Solly.

Can you recall a particularly memorable on-stage moment? The moment I was revealed as the plant in Little Shop of Horrors and listening and looking at the audience’s reaction was priceless.

Can you remember the first time you thought “I want to be in theatre”? I was inspired by the way my uncle played his drums on stage and when he passed on and left me his drum kit, I knew one day I had to be on stage, and when I watched Rent (which was the first ever musical I watched live) I knew I had to be in theatre.

What are you enjoying most about being part of Simply Theatre? I guess the cast and crew aren’t as scary as I thought. In fact they are all wonderful and full of jokes, so as this is the first time with them I feel welcomed and humbled to be part of it.

Is there room in your life for anything else apart from singing, dancing & acting? I guess there is always room for a cheeky Nandos :)

No Day But Today