{"id":60852,"date":"2026-03-20T15:53:42","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T19:53:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=60852"},"modified":"2026-03-20T15:53:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T19:53:43","slug":"students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/","title":{"rendered":"Students infuse Shakespeare with pop rock in spring musical"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThe Winter\u2019s Tale: A Musical Adaptation\u201d runs April 9-12 at EMU\u2019s Lee Eshleman Studio Theater, with tickets on sale now!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

EMU Theatre brings Shakespeare\u2019s heartwarming tale of mystery and magic to life in an original musical, featuring hit songs from the \u201980s and \u201990s and dynamic choreographed dance numbers. \u201cThe Winter\u2019s Tale: A Musical Adaptation\u201d comes to the Lee Eshleman Studio Theater, with nightly shows at 7:30 p.m. from April 9-12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tickets for the show are on sale at emu.edu\/theatre<\/strong><\/a> 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 EMU and JMU students, $10 for children and other students, $18 for seniors (65+), and $20 for adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Content Warning:<\/strong> \u201cThe Winter’s Tale\u201d contains adult content and mentions of violence. Recommended for ages 16 and up.<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Winter\u2019s Tale\u201d 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<\/strong>), suspects his wife Hermione (Jubilee Soper<\/strong>) of unfaithfulness with Polixenes, king of Bohemia (Samuel Castaneda<\/strong>), he becomes so enraged that he orders her jailed and their infant daughter abandoned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sixteen years later, as the seasons shift from winter to spring, the story moves to Bohemia, where Leontes\u2019 daughter, Perdita (Emilee White<\/strong>), is now grown and has captured the heart of Florizel (Kayden Beidler<\/strong>), the brash and dramatic son of Polixenes. Will their love be enough to reunite the two kingdoms?<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
From left: EMU students Jubilee Soper (Hermione), Kyah Young (Lord\/Messenger), Elie Hoover (Leontes\/Autolycus), and Elena Middlebrook (Paulina) during a recent rehearsal of \u201cThe Winter\u2019s Tale.\u201d<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Perhaps best known for the stage direction, \u201cExit, pursued by a bear,\u201d this sweet and complex romance is written in Shakespeare\u2019s signature iambic pentameter. But this adaptation adds a \u201cnice little twist,\u201d said guest director Haley Davis<\/strong>: a mix of 1980s and \u201990s chart-toppers, personally selected by EMU\u2019s talented student cast, woven throughout the play. It\u2019s sure to have the whole audience singing along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frequent EMU Theatre collaborator Jim Clemens<\/strong> returns as music director, performing iconic rock ballads and pop rock songs on piano, while student Bryan Joya-Estrada<\/strong>, who also portrays the Shepherd, plays various instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The costumes, designed by Rebecca Bailey<\/strong>, blend early modern and Renaissance elements with an \u201980s and \u201990s punk rock aesthetic, Davis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rounding out the crew are Shannon Dove<\/strong> as technical director, Sierra Priest<\/strong> as choreographer, and Sarah Peak<\/strong> as stage manager.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Emilee White, who portrays Perdita, crowns Jim Clemens, music director, during a recent rehearsal of \u201cThe Winter\u2019s Tale.\u201d<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The play will be performed in the round, with audience members seated on all sides of the raised stage and in the upper balcony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s more fun when you have the audience right there at your toes,\u201d said Davis, an administrative-professional faculty member of James Madison University\u2019s School of Theatre and Dance. \u201cYou can look up at the heavens or down at the earth, and you have people there to share the moment with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Choreographer Sierra Priest leads members of the cast during rehearsal at EMU\u2019s Lee Eshleman Studio Theater.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It was only after the audition process that it became clear to the production team which play to perform. \u201cIn a special way, this play was chosen based on the people rather than the other way around,\u201d 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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beidler, who plays the roles of Florizel and Antigonus, said they love how collaborative the show has felt. \u201cIt was so fun helping pick the music, and it really feels like we\u2019ve made this show ours,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hoover, who portrays Leontes and Autolycus, said, \u201cIt\u2019s fun getting to play characters who are both so different from each other and from me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Tickets for the show are on sale at emu.edu\/theatre<\/a>.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

One of the play\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want audiences to walk away with a sense of hope,\u201d Davis said. \u201cThings can look bleak and cold and scary, but there\u2019s something better around the corner if we hold on and let time do what it needs to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Cast<\/strong>
Leontes\/Autolycus \u2014 Elie Hoover<\/strong>
Hermione \u2014 Jubilee Soper<\/strong>
Mamillius\/Perdita \u2014 Emilee White<\/strong>
Camillo \u2014 Erin Batten<\/strong>
Polixenes \u2014 Samuel Casteneda<\/strong>
Paulina \u2014 Elena Middlebrook<\/strong>
Florizel\/Antigonus \u2014 Kayden Beidler<\/strong>
Shepherd\/Officer \u2014 Bryan Joya-Estrada<\/strong>
Lord\/Messenger \u2014 Kyah Young<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crew<\/strong>
Director \u2014 Haley Davis<\/strong>
Music Director \u2014 Jim Clemens<\/strong>
Technical Director \u2014 Shannon Dove<\/strong>
Costumer \u2014 Rebecca Bailey<\/strong>
Choreographer \u2014 Sierra Priest<\/strong>
Stage Manager \u2014 Sarah Peak<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Purchase tickets for the show by clicking on the poster above!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe Winter\u2019s Tale: A Musical Adaptation\u201d runs April 9-12 at EMU\u2019s Lee Eshleman Studio Theater, with tickets on sale now! EMU Theatre brings Shakespeare\u2019s heartwarming tale of mystery and magic ... read more about Students infuse Shakespeare with pop rock in spring musical<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":60861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7931,5583,14715,5861,17562,4513],"tags":[17233,18923,18927,18235,18921,18926,18922,17100,18920,18556,18928,12273,18734,18924,18919,17908,6275,14163,18925,18918,12501,17871],"feature":[17427,17426,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-60852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-campus-community","category-campus-life","category-conferences-and-events","category-digest","category-student-life","tag-arts","tag-bryan-joya-estrada","tag-elena-middlebrook","tag-elie-hoover","tag-emilee-white","tag-erin-batten","tag-haley-davis","tag-jim-clemens","tag-jubilee-soper","tag-kayden-beidler","tag-kyah-young","tag-lee-eshleman-studio-theater","tag-plays","tag-rebecca-bailey","tag-samuel-castaneda","tag-sarah-peak","tag-shakespeare","tag-shannon-dove","tag-sierra-priest","tag-the-winters-tale","tag-theater","tag-theatre","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"\nStudents infuse Shakespeare with pop rock in spring musical - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Students infuse Shakespeare with pop rock in spring musical - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cThe Winter\u2019s Tale: A Musical Adaptation\u201d runs April 9-12 at EMU\u2019s Lee Eshleman Studio Theater, with tickets on sale now! EMU Theatre brings Shakespeare\u2019s heartwarming tale of mystery and magic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/EasternMennonite\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-20T19:53:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-20T19:53:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/03\/19180010\/DSC_9859.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"854\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ryan Cornell\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EMU_News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EMU_News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ryan Cornell\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/\",\"name\":\"Students infuse Shakespeare with pop rock in spring musical - EMU News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/03\/19180010\/DSC_9859.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-20T19:53:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-20T19:53:43+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/4d24e9770fdab8276fbcf29504123fdf\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/03\/19180010\/DSC_9859.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/03\/19180010\/DSC_9859.jpeg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":854},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Students infuse Shakespeare with pop rock in spring musical\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/\",\"name\":\"EMU News\",\"description\":\"News from the Eastern Mennonite University community.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/4d24e9770fdab8276fbcf29504123fdf\",\"name\":\"Ryan Cornell\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Students infuse Shakespeare with pop rock in spring musical - EMU News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Students infuse Shakespeare with pop rock in spring musical - EMU News","og_description":"\u201cThe Winter\u2019s Tale: A Musical Adaptation\u201d runs April 9-12 at EMU\u2019s Lee Eshleman Studio Theater, with tickets on sale now! EMU Theatre brings Shakespeare\u2019s heartwarming tale of mystery and magic","og_url":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/","og_site_name":"EMU News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/EasternMennonite","article_published_time":"2026-03-20T19:53:42+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-20T19:53:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":854,"url":"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/03\/19180010\/DSC_9859.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ryan Cornell","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EMU_News","twitter_site":"@EMU_News","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ryan Cornell","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/","url":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/","name":"Students infuse Shakespeare with pop rock in spring musical - EMU News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/03\/19180010\/DSC_9859.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-03-20T19:53:42+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-20T19:53:43+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/4d24e9770fdab8276fbcf29504123fdf"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/03\/19180010\/DSC_9859.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/emu-wordpress-multisite-instance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/03\/19180010\/DSC_9859.jpeg","width":1280,"height":854},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/students-infuse-shakespeare-with-pop-rock-in-spring-musical\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Students infuse Shakespeare with pop rock in spring musical"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/","name":"EMU News","description":"News from the Eastern Mennonite University community.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/4d24e9770fdab8276fbcf29504123fdf","name":"Ryan Cornell"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/302"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60852"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60876,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60852\/revisions\/60876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60852"},{"taxonomy":"feature","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature?post=60852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}