“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 EMU 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.”

About 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 EtĂ©ocles should be given full burial rights. Antigone chooses to defy the king, CrĂ©on, by burying Polynices – with her bare hands – and is brought before CrĂ©on 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-EMU students ($10 at the door).

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

Information regarding age-appropriateness for EMU 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

EMU’s new drama professor Tom Joyner

His office may still be piled with boxes waiting to be unpacked, and his desk might be cluttered with papers waiting to be filed, but EMU’s new drama professor Thomas Joyner feels right at home just the same. (Learn more about EMU’s theater program…)

“Everyone has been very welcoming. I’ve had a great experience so far. The valley is a beautiful place that my family and I enjoy,” Joyner says.

Hailing from the University of Central Florida, Joyner was first placed on a small list for applicants last year.

“My first full-time teaching job was last year in Florida. I had applied to several schools, including EMU, but they had already hired someone, so I accepted UCF’s offer to work for them for a year,” Joyner says.

When the year ended and the interim drama professor left, EMU was on the lookout again. Sticking to the short list of applicants from the year before, they made some calls.

“When they called to see if I would come for an interview, I said sure,” says Joyner. “I had only signed a one-year contract with UCF. UCF was the fifth-biggest school in the state and EMU was just homey [in comparison]. The school’s mission resonates with me. EMU was the only school I interviewed with and I got the job. I really felt it was a guided experience and that the whole process was meant to be because it was the only school I interviewed with.”

Joyner’s enjoyment of drama began when he was in middle school. From there he went through high school and college spending all his spare time on the stage. Once Joyner reached college, he felt it was impractical to major in theatre. Still, he spent as much time as possible acting. Graduating from college as a Philosophy and Religion major, he felt his next step was a bit uncertain, but that grad school was in the program.

“I had a wide variety of interests that I wanted to study, but when I told the academic advisor I had five ideas she quickly told me to pick just one. And theatre was the one that just…came out. It was my passion.”

He helped a lot with a community theater in downtown Orlando and even assisted women at a local country club to develop their skills. He realized acting, for some, was a fun time and that for others it was a passion.

“Many people come for fun and to put on a show. That’s good but why does it appeal? Why is it important? I mean, why have they kept it around for 2,500 years? They are not to entertain but to give the world a better place; see how others are in the world.”

Joyner had the opportunity of jumping right in and directing EMU’s first production, “Stones in His Pockets.” He had a clear sense of where the play should go and what he wanted out of it.

“I wanted to show what the play means to the audience. I stay open to the ideas of the actors and their input so we can shape the student’s input. The actors usually bring themselves to the part,” Joyner says.

Joyner feels college is the time to experiment with theatre, not just for show but to try something new; College is a time to find a variety of plays, ranging from contemporary to classics. He wants to try new things and find a variety of styles.

“When I pick a play, I choose something that hits my brain and makes me think, but also hits my heart and makes me feel,” Joyner says.

Joyner came here with a clear sense of how he wants things to turn out. Like any director, he has to let the actors take a hold of their roles and make the play. He was excited to make the transition from Florida to Virginia, and more importantly to EMU. He wants to bring a final bow to the drama department so that at the end of the day, when the curtains are closing, the drama department can feel complete.

Joyner concludes, “I hope to bring a sense of stability finally. I hope I can bring a foundation to expand on; that we can be known. It’s not about the numbers but about the awareness. Theater is about justice and peace and communicating that to others.”