����Vlog Theatre brings Shakespeare’s heartwarming tale of mystery and magic to life in an original musical, featuring hit songs from the ’80s and ’90s and dynamic choreographed dance numbers. “The Winter’s Tale: A Musical Adaptation” comes to the Lee Eshleman Studio Theater, with nightly shows at 7:30 p.m. from April 9-12.

Tickets for the show are on sale at and will be available at the door, though seating inside the theater is limited and tickets have been known to sell out quickly. Tickets range from $6 for ����Vlog and JMU students, $10 for children and other students, $18 for seniors (65+), and $20 for adults.

“The Winter’s Tale” follows two kingdoms torn apart by jealousy, a lost queen, and the love that may bring them back together. When Leontes, the tyrannical king of Sicilia (Elie Hoover), suspects his wife Hermione (Jubilee Soper) of unfaithfulness with Polixenes, king of Bohemia (Samuel Castaneda), he becomes so enraged that he orders her jailed and their infant daughter abandoned.

Sixteen years later, as the seasons shift from winter to spring, the story moves to Bohemia, where Leontes’ daughter, Perdita (Emilee White), is now grown and has captured the heart of Florizel (Kayden Beidler), the brash and dramatic son of Polixenes. Will their love be enough to reunite the two kingdoms?

Perhaps best known for the stage direction, “Exit, pursued by a bear,” this sweet and complex romance is written in Shakespeare’s signature iambic pentameter. But this adaptation adds a “nice little twist,” said guest director Haley Davis: a mix of 1980s and ’90s chart-toppers, personally selected by ����Vlog’s talented student cast, woven throughout the play. It’s sure to have the whole audience singing along.

Frequent ����Vlog Theatre collaborator Jim Clemens returns as music director, performing iconic rock ballads and pop rock songs on piano, while student Bryan Joya-Estrada, who also portrays the Shepherd, plays various instruments.

The costumes, designed by Rebecca Bailey, blend early modern and Renaissance elements with an ’80s and ’90s punk rock aesthetic, Davis said.

Rounding out the crew are Shannon Dove as technical director, Sierra Priest as choreographer, and Sarah Peak as stage manager.

The play will be performed in the round, with audience members seated on all sides of the raised stage and in the upper balcony.

“It’s more fun when you have the audience right there at your toes,” said Davis, an administrative-professional faculty member of James Madison University’s School of Theatre and Dance. “You can look up at the heavens or down at the earth, and you have people there to share the moment with.”

It was only after the audition process that it became clear to the production team which play to perform. “In a special way, this play was chosen based on the people rather than the other way around,” she said. “I found that this approach, coupled with the students musically adapting the play, gave the team unique agency in the story they wanted to tell.”

Beidler, who plays the roles of Florizel and Antigonus, said they love how collaborative the show has felt. “It was so fun helping pick the music, and it really feels like we’ve made this show ours,” they said.

Hoover, who portrays Leontes and Autolycus, said, “It’s fun getting to play characters who are both so different from each other and from me.”

One of the play’s most striking moments is when it travels over 16 years, transporting the characters from Sicilia to Bohemia, from a harsh winter to a forgiving spring. The shift has also felt meaningful for the students, who began rehearsals in winter and are gradually emerging into spring themselves.

“I want audiences to walk away with a sense of hope,” Davis said. “Things can look bleak and cold and scary, but there’s something better around the corner if we hold on and let time do what it needs to do.”

Cast
Leontes/Autolycus — Elie Hoover
Hermione — Jubilee Soper
Mamillius/Perdita — Emilee White
Camillo — Erin Batten
Polixenes — Samuel Casteneda
Paulina — Elena Middlebrook
Florizel/Antigonus — Kayden Beidler
Shepherd/Officer — Bryan Joya-Estrada
Lord/Messenger — Kyah Young

Crew
Director — Haley Davis
Music Director — Jim Clemens
Technical Director — Shannon Dove
Costumer — Rebecca Bailey
Choreographer — Sierra Priest
Stage Manager — Sarah Peak

Editor’s Note 12/20/2021: This production earned multiple awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival: Certificates of Merit for co-creators Justin Poole and Jerry Holsopple and fight choreographer Wolf Sherrill, as well as nominations for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship competition for Greta Schrag, Elizabeth Eby, Anna Hoover, and Andrew Stoltzfus. Eby was nominated for the MTI Musical Theater Intensive Audition as well.

Audiences at ����Vlog’s “U2 Romeo & Juliet” are in for a treat. A theater production that combines the artistry of William Shakespeare and the iconic Irish band U2 is exciting, intense and bold. The band’s poetic songs easefully carry classic themes of hatred and violence, love and reconciliation. 

Live music performed by a skilled ensemble of actors and local band Prince Bellerose, with original videos, choreography and intense fight scenes, will also make this theater experience memorable. The rock musical, created by faculty members Justin Poole and Jerry Holsopple, not only tells the story of the constant human struggle between light and darkness, but challenges audiences to make a difference in today’s chaotic world.

This is a play about the horrible things we do to each other and the need for us to advocate for peace and justice despite seemingly insurmountable odds.

—Justin Poole, theater program director and professor of theater

“The music of U2 works so well in this show because most of their songs mean more than one thing,” said Holsopple, professor of visual and communication arts. “It may be about love, but it is also about this other situation. It goes from lament to prophetic anger, from intense personal feelings to grand ideas all while balancing multiple narratives on the flow of text and music.”

“U2 Romeo & Juliet: An Original Rock Musical” runs Oct. 16-30, in the Mainstage Theater, University Commons. Performances are 7 p.m. Oct. 16, 28, 29, and 30, and 2 p.m. Oct 17 and 30.

A ‘disordered, uncertain world’

Poole conceived the idea for the rock musical shortly after the tragedy of 9/11. His vision was sparked by his college professor’s creation that paired Shakespeare and The Beatles for a musical of “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.”

“I started envisioning a performance of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ set to the music and lyrics of my personal favorite band U2,” Poole wrote in the program’s creator notes. “It would be a much darker, morally complicated play that mirrored the new state of the world as I saw it: disordered, uncertain, violent, desperate.”

It took 20 years for anyone to be enthusiastic about his vision. Prepared for a discouraging comment, Poole told his idea to fellow-U2 enthusiast Holsopple, who unexpectedly replied, “That works. You want me to be your music director?”

“It took collaboration with Jerry to have it happen,” Poole said, noting they use the title of creators to describe their production roles. “We aren’t using any other titles. This is in keeping with the spirit of U2 who shares all their creative rights and credits.”

 Contacting U2

In January 2020, Holsopple and Poole chose 22 songs they wanted to include and then form the text around the music. They sent their proposal — including a script draft with music selections identified, as well as information about ����Vlog’s mission—to U2’s publishing company, Universal Music Publishing. Eventually, they were put in contact with a band representative who said, “The band is going to have to review your proposal extensively.” With an upcoming tour scheduled, that meant a long turn-around time. However, in less than two weeks, on March 16, a rep emailed  to grant permission to use all 22 songs requested.

Royalties could have been exorbitant, but U2 asked a bare minimum, Poole said, far less than most staged productions. 

Adapting the script and casting

Poole and Holsopple developed the adaptation in summer 2020. They cut archaic scenes, while keeping favorite Shakespearean quotes and the story intact. U2’s songs chosen include “Love and Peace or Else,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” “Grace,” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”

The creators brought in local band Prince Bellerose to perform live:  Valentin Prince, Daniel Bellerose and Joseph Harder ’20. In addition to ����Vlog students, they cast community member Stan Swartz ’87 and ����Vlog faculty members James Richardson, assistant professor of music, and Shannon Dove, theater tech director.

The play revolves around Friar Laurence, portrayed by Dove, Holsopple said. “The Friar is like Bono, the storyteller. In a way, it’s the friar’s confession in his attempt to change the world and his failure.”

 Dove was a U2 fan as a teen, and as “one of the older members of the cast,” owned a cassette copy of their first album. Aspiring to also sing rock and roll, he said, as a baritone, “the holy grail to me at the time was someday being able to hit that note…you know that one note in ‘With or Without You.’”

The songs function as soliloquies. Sophomore Greta Schrag said they provide her character, Juliet, an inner monologue for the motivation of her actions. “She gets to have a say in what happens to her and gets to share how she feels about it with the audience,” said Schrag, a political science and sociology major.

With women taking on the roles of the Capulet and Montague boys, Poole said, “there’re lots of gender bending, which works well in Shakespeare and with our vision for this show.”

Video projections created by Holsopple and VACA students, Poole said, “add a broader perspective to the piece, connecting it to contemporary events.”

Making a change

With Christian world views of hope, joy, love and peace embedded in both the script and U2’s lyrics, the creators and cast made an intention for the audience.

“We communicate to the audience, and they go out and make positive changes,” Poole said. “They go out and make things better.”

Senior Andrew Stoltzfus, a nursing major with a minor in theater, who will portray Romeo, wants the audience to feel the full tragedy of the play, he said, “the horror of what humans do to each other and to feel resolved to join in the “rebellion” against violence.”

“I hope they’ll realize the depth and impact love can have on any circumstance,” said Schrag.  “Love is power, and it is stronger and more effective than hate.”

Ticket prices for adults are $15; Senior (65+), non-����Vlog students, $12; ����Vlog faculty/staff, $12; ����Vlog and Bridgewater students, $6. Discounts are available for groups of ten or more. Tickets are available online through ����Vlog’s Box Office online at or by calling 540-432-4582 between 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. weekdays. Because of the intensity of the production, it is not suitable for children under age 14. Face masks are required.

Thanks to our sponsors

CAST

Romeo: Andrew Stoltzfus

Juliet: Greta Schrag

Friar Laurence: Shannon Dove

Nurse: Clara Bush

Mercutio: Elizabeth Eby

Benvolio: Anna Hoover

Tybalt: Isaac Longacre

Paris:  Matt Hevener

Lord Montague:  James Richardson

Lady Montague: Ani Beitzel

Montague Boy/Balathasar: Molly Piwonka

Montague Boy/Police: Emma Nord

Montague Boy: Andrew Burks

Lord Capulet: Stan Swartz

Lady Capulet: Evelyn Shenk

Capulet Boy/Servant: MacRae Richardson

Capulet Boy: Sophia Gott

Capulet Boy:  Alexis Lewis

Capulet Boy/Friar John: Adam Hoover

Prince: Joe Sietz

CREW

Creator: Justin Poole

Creator: Jerry Holsopple

Set Designer: Shannon Dove

Vocal Coach: James Richardson

Choreographer:  Ellie de Waal

Fight Choreographer: Wolf Sherrill

Costume Designer: Rachel Herrick

Lighting Designer: Robert Weaver

Assistant Director: Isaac Longacre

Stage Manager: Jareya Harder

Assistant Stage Manager: Alana Lovick

Theater Promotions: Anna Hoover

House Manager: Mikalya Pettus

Production Assistant: Ezrionna Prioleau

Production Assistant: Hailey Holcomb

Band: Prince Bellerose

“Shrek the Musical!” makes a triumphant comeback as ����Vlog’s (����Vlog) first in-person arts event open to the public since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Four outdoor, socially distanced performances will be held on two consecutive weekends. The Saturday performances, April 10 and April 17, are open to faculty, staff, students and parents.

The Friday performances for the general public on April 9 and 16 are sold out.

All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thomas Plaza.

Visit /box-office/ to make your free reservation. All audience members are required to wear masks and to physically distance while congregated on ����Vlog grounds. Additional Covid safety measures are also in place and will be communicated to our patrons upon arrival. Please bring a lawn chair or blanket for your own outdoor seating.

“As you watch our zany, high energy, and off-beat production, have fun. Also, ask yourself how you can more fully embrace your neighbor,” said Professor Justin Poole, director of the musical.

The production, which includes a large cast of ����Vlog students from across all majors and some community members as well, is based on the popular DreamWorks animated films.

“Shrek the Musical!” was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, with music by Tony Award winner Jeanine Tesori. The Broadway show received eight Tony nominations, including Best Musical. ����Vlog Theater had originally staged the show last year, until COVID-19 wreaked havoc on live performances everywhere. 

Poole brought back some of the original cast, added a few newcomers, and re-choreographed the show as a COVID-safe, outdoor extravaganza. 

“It is the largest stationary stage area I have ever worked on, which has been a blast as a director,” he said. “The actors have so much ground to cover and they do it with huge, bombastic movements that make the whole piece feel like a living cartoon. It’s so much fun!”

Junior Joe Seitz returns to the show as the iconic wisecracker “Donkey.” 

“After a year with no theater, I think both the cast and the community are thoroughly excited to finally be back at it,” Seitz said. “Every person involved with this show is bringing so much energy and I think this is one of the most fun shows we’ve put on in years.”

Sarah Regan ’18 has had her hands full, as she’s both running the box office and acting in the show. Regan is the assistant director of auxiliary services when she’s not playing “Thelonius” and “Mama Elf.” In preparation for a public health-conscious show, Regan used photos and measurements of the front lawn to create a seating layout that will safely accommodate 200 people. 

“Shrek has been an incredible source of life for me in the past year, as I believe it has been for so many of our cast and crew,” Regan said. “We’re hoping that this show can be a gift to the community after a long hard year full of disappointments.”

For live theater aficionados who were not fast enough to the box office to see this spring’s production, Poole says the theater department has already laid plans for next season: “We are hitting the ground running with an exciting, action-packed theater season featuring two original shows and ����Vlog’s first fully staged opera!”

Thanks to our sponsor:

“Twelfth Night: A Musical Remix” will be performed by a troupe of actors from ����Vlog and at the in Washington D.C. Performances will be July 9, 18, 21, 23 and 25 at the Trinidad Theatre.

The production is visually and kinetically dynamic, with music, choreography, make-up and costumes inspired by carnivals and underwater dance. It has been adapted, directed and produced by Assistant Professor of Theater , with an original score composed by James E. (Jim) Clemens.

“This is an opportunity to showcase our work and our student actors to an international audience in a major metropolitan area and important cultural center,” Poole said.

The Capital Fringe Festival takes place over 18 days in July with over 140 productions, roughly 800 individual performances, showcasing 5,000 artists. Organizers encourage potential performers to “express their talents and to develop their artistic freedom without any curatorial barriers,” according to the website.

“This is a massive international festival,” Poole said, “and the fact that it’s unjuried encourages innovation and creativity. Anyone can come and perform, but at the same time, it’s a place where well-known professionals can be innovative, venture into new art forms, experiment and take risks.”

While the original production was technically ambitious, with swings and a rotating piano, Poole says the “remix” has been condensed and simplified to meet festival requirements. Despite what he calls “trimming the fat” – from three hours to 70 minutes and from 11 actors to six – the most compelling features are intact, including the makeup, costumes and original musical score, sung by the actors and accompanied by Clemens on piano and ����Vlog sophomore Jacinda Stahly on violin.

“This production enables us to tell the same sweeping story while relying more heavily on the essential components of any theatrical production: the actors’ voices, bodies and imaginations,” Poole said.

The cast, comprised of students, alumni, and former students, includes MaKayla Baker, Holly Hanks, Clara Bush and Shannon Dove. Belen Fernandez is the make-up artist. Rachelle Kratz is assistant director and stage manager. Costumes are created by Ama Ansah, based on the original designs of Holly Labbe.

The cast also includes actors from Wanderlust Theatre Company co-founded by Poole and his wife, Amanda. The company specializes in experimental productions of classical works and the development of original performances inspired by border crossings and cultural issues.

Performance Dates and Times

Thursday, July 9 at 6 p.m.

Saturday, July 18 at noon

Tuesday, July 21 at 9:45 p.m.

Thursday, July 23 at 6 p.m.

Saturday, July 25 at 8:15 p.m.

All performances are Trinidad Theatre. For venue information, directions and tickets to the Capital Fringe Festival, visit or call (866) 811-4111.

Editor’s Note: On July 26, with recognition for Favorite Musical, Favorite Ensemble and Favorite Overall Show. Additionally, three actors were among those honored as Favorite Performers: Holly Hanks, Sean Byrne and Shannon Dove.

Directed by , assistant professor of at ����Vlog, Into the Woods will be performed in the Main Stage Theater at 7:30 p.m. on April 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12, plus a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 6. The show will run approximately three hours with intermission.

Information regarding age-appropriateness for ����Vlog events is available through the  at 540-432-4360 or theater@emu.edu.

Into the Woods weaves together the main characters from fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Cinderella and others. The story revolves around a childless baker and his wife on a quest to begin a family, and their interaction with a witch who has placed a curse on them. In a departure from the standard plot line, the musical explores the consequences of these characters’ wishes.

“Into the Woods is a sprawling story filled to the brim with complex characters and dark magic,” said Poole. “The story provides ample opportunities to push the limits of our imaginations as we explore innovative ways to stage complex theatrical moments. I want audiences to leave the theater feeling that they have had a visceral, engaging experience that transcends what they have felt while watching a film or other mediated form of entertainment.”

Reserved tickets are $15 for adults ($17 at the door) and $12 for seniors, non-����Vlog students and ����Vlog faculty/staff ($14 at the door) and $6 for ����Vlog students. Tickets are available through ����Vlog’s box office: 540-432-4582, . Group rates are available.

Cast:

Rachelle Kratz, stage manager

Dylan Bomgardner, assistant stage manager

Sierra Comer, assistant stage manager

Hailey Holcomb, assistant stage manager

Hattie Berg, assistant director

Chris Parks, dramaturg

Bethany Chupp (sophomore)

Shannon Dove

Heather Evans (junior)

Andrew French

Dorothy Hershey (first-year)

Jeremiah Hines (first-year)

Caitlin Holsapple (sophomore)

Heidi Jablonski (senior)

Holly Jensen (junior)

Elisha Keener (junior)

Eric King (senior)

Jaclyn Kratz (sophomore)

Katie Miller (senior)

Ezrionna Prioleau (first-year)

Emily Shenk (junior)

Sarah Sutter (first-year)

Sam Swartzendruber (sophomore)

Isaac Tice (senior)

Robert Weaver (first-year)

Phil Yoder (junior)

Rebekah York (sophomore)

“Antigone struggles with questions about humankind’s relationship to God, but in Antigone’s case, the focus is the whole ‘render unto Caesar’ discussion about where we place our greatest trust and allegiance, between the state and the Creator,” said Tom Joyner, director and assistant professor of theater.

“Near the end of the play, there’s a reference to other ‘Antigones’ over the millennia – women who have stood up against the state and rigid authority on behalf of higher principles. I trust an ����Vlog audience will draw connections between Antigone’s journey and those of Aung San Suu Kyi and Leymah Gbowee.”

Leah Ott, who plays the character Antigone, says she appreciates how her character matures through the play.

“What I find unique about this play is Antigone is most likely still a teenager,” said Ott. “She is learning what love is like and she is becoming a woman in a world of men. She stands up for what she believes is truth, and boldly faces death to defend what is right.”

����Vlog the play

The play takes place following the battle for Thèbes in which Antigone’s two brothers have killed each other vying for the throne. The king has proclaimed that the younger brother, Polynices, must be left unburied while Antigone’s elder brother Etéocles should be given full burial rights. Antigone chooses to defy the king, Créon, by burying Polynices – with her bare hands – and is brought before Créon for judgment. The king attempts to excuse the offense, perhaps because Antigone is engaged to his son, but Antigone refuses to accept his pardon.

What ensues is a passionate dialogue concerning the nature of power, morality, fate and free will. Antigone’s actions eventually force the king’s hand, and the kingdom is rocked by yet more royal deaths.

Antigone is a modern adaption by Jean Anouilh of the original tragedy written by Sophocles, translated by Louis Gallantiere.

The adaption by Anouilh was first performed in Paris during the Nazi occupation with several parallels to the French Resistance and the war in France.

Tickets, more information

Reserved tickets are $10 for adults ($12 at the door) and $8 for seniors and non-����Vlog students ($10 at the door).

Tickets are available through ����Vlog’s box office at 540-432-4582 or emu.edu/boxoffice. Group rates are available.

Information regarding age-appropriateness for ����Vlog events is available through the theater office at 540-432-4360 or theater@emu.edu.

Cast and supporting members

Shannon Dove, staff member

Elisha Keener, a first-year student from Mount Joy, Pa./Donegal High School

Coryn LaVeist, a first-year student from Norfolk, Va./Kings Fork High School

Jenna Longenecker, a junior from Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley High School

Tulia MacDicken, a first-year student from Centreville, Va./Westfield High School

Erica Maholmes, a first-year student from Harrisonburg, Va./Turner Ashby High School

Leah Ott, a senior from Harpers Ferry, WVa./Jefferson High School

Kayla Sasser, a senior from Maurertown, Va./Strasburg High School

Holly Solomon, a sophomore from Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock High School

Ariel Vogel, a first-year student at Harrisonburg High School, Harrisonburg, Va.

Phil Yoder, a first-year student from Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite High School