Are you looking to have an enjoyable evening with some friends and family or even a solo night out? Do whimsical music and outstanding acting combined with some teenage love drama sound enticing to you? If so, look no further, because Eastern Mennonite University Theater can provide you with a phenomenal production of Romeo and Juliet featuring U2 music!
This fall semester, the outstanding actors, stage crew members, directors, music ensemble, etc. will be bringing the classic story of Romeo and Juliet with a U2 twist to life on stage! The production will kick off this Saturday, Oct. 16! There are a total of seven performances taking place in the coming weeks. These dates include; Oct.16, 28, 29, 30 at 7 p.m., Oct. 17, 30 at 2 p.m., and Oct.19 at 10 a.m.
Justin Poole, associate professor of theater, had the idea for this specific adaptation of Romeo and Juliet integrated with U2 music “for nearly two decades.” He says, “It has taken over 20 years for me to get this piece out of my head and onto the stage, but the stars this season aligned just in the right way for the show to be launched this fall.”
Justin Poole and Jerry Holsopple, professor of visual and communication arts, constructed the adaptation together as creators and the process of selecting cast members began as early as the summer of 2020. Potential cast members participated in a reading workshop in the summer of 2020 and most of the crew was assigned by May of 2021, but the roster was finalized last month.
The cast and crew have given it their all since practices began the week before fall semester classes started and have continued practicing from 7. to 10 p.m. six days a week since then! One of the many talented EMU students you will see on stage is senior Andrew Stoltzfus, who takes on the infamous role of Romeo. Stoltzfus has performed in “five productions here at EMU and I daresay it might be my favorite!” What makes this show particularly special for Stoltzfus “is the fact that this is a totally original production- no-one has ever put on a U2 Romeo & Juliet rock musical before, and after we’re finished it may never be done again. So it’s really fun to be a part of creating something completely new and novel, bringing it into the world for the first time.”
Another EMU student displaying their talents on stage is senior Elizabeth Eby, who is bringing to life the character Mercutio. Eby has been involved with EMU Theater since her first year in college, and says that “this performance is different in a few ways from other ones I’ve been involved in at EMU”.
Eby wanted to highlight that “We [EMU Theater] were given the rights to the U2 music by the band members themselves, which is amazing. We collaborated with VACA who made visuals that appear on screens. Chamber Singers is involved in a couple of songs on stage as well. We’re premiering earlier than we usually do which meant we all came to campus a week early to do intensive rehearsals. That was a really fun time, and something I’ve never gotten to experience before. This show has a lot of unique elements. We’ve created something really special with it.”
Tickets to see this amazing performance can be purchased on the EMU box office website!
