Samuel Beckett鈥檚 鈥淓ndgame鈥� opens at 黑料正能量鈥檚 MainStage Theater this month.

The play, billed as an absurdist tragicomedy set at the end of the world, will be performed nightly from Thursday, Oct. 22, to Saturday, Oct. 24, with showtimes at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 for general admission and free to 黑料正能量 students with a valid ID. They can be purchased online through Eventbrite.

First performed in 1957, 鈥淓ndgame鈥� centers on the blind and chair-bound Hamm (played by Tom King), who is confined to a single room with his servant, Clov (Jay Zehr, class of 1980). The two men are joined by Hamm鈥檚 aging parents, Nagg (Jason Heller) and Nell (Theo Panzol), who appear out of a pair of trash cans. The four are seemingly the last living beings on Earth.

鈥淚t could be anywhere at any time,鈥� said producer and Transports of Joy co-founder Luis Lojo. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no mention of how the world ended or how society collapsed, but you get to watch how these people are coping with it.鈥�

鈥淎 pinnacle of Beckett鈥檚 characteristic raw minimalism,鈥� reads a from the Irish Repertory Theatre, 鈥溾�楨ndgame鈥� is a pure and devastating distillation of the human essence in the face of approaching death.鈥�

Despite the bleak setting, Lojo promises laughs. 鈥淓ndgame鈥� has the same trademark dark humor as Beckett鈥檚 better-known play, 鈥淲aiting for Godot.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 actually a lot of humor in it,鈥� Zehr said. 鈥淓ven in the worst circumstances, there鈥檚 still humanity and there鈥檚 still people trying to connect with each other. There is still humor to be found, even in the darkest moments.鈥�

MainStage Theater 鈥榯he perfect size鈥�

鈥淓ndgame鈥� is directed by Courtney King, daughter of Tom King. It is the first play produced by Transports of Joy, which she founded with Lojo. Pam Johnson, professor emerita of theatre at James Madison University, serves as costume designer.

In 2023, Courtney King and Lojo attended a production of 鈥淓ndgame鈥� at the Irish Rep in New York. Inspired by the play, which they described as both funny and moving, they began planning their own version. This past June, the team began gathering to read the script aloud and workshop it.

After searching for the ideal venue, the couple, who split their time between New York City and Harrisonburg, found a home at 黑料正能量鈥檚 MainStage Theater. The 200-seat theater provides an intimate, up-close view of the stage from anywhere in the house, Lojo said.

鈥淓ven in the last row, you see everything,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the perfect size because everyone gets to be near the action and be in the same experience.鈥�

鈥業t鈥檚 100% a labor of love鈥�

Zehr and Tom King are longtime collaborators in the Harrisonburg theater scene, having worked together for 40 years. King was Zehr鈥檚 theater mentor at JMU.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really been a pleasure and a privilege to work with him in a production after all these years,鈥� Zehr said.

The production also marks a return of sorts for Zehr, who attended 黑料正能量 in the mid-1970s and played two seasons on its basketball team. MainStage Theater occupies part of what was then the college gym.

Lojo, a theater professional with more than 40 years of experience, said 鈥淓ndgame鈥� isn鈥檛 often staged, making the chance to see it 鈥渁 rare opportunity.鈥�

鈥淎s a producer, I鈥檓 aware of how difficult this is to sell to people and say, 鈥楬ey, do you want to come see our play about the end of the world?鈥欌�� Lojo said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 100% a labor of love. This is just something we wanted to do.鈥�

And while audiences might not leave 鈥渢apping a song,鈥� Lojo hopes the experience stays with them.

鈥淚t might give you some perspective to help cope with different aspects of life,鈥� he said.

黑料正能量 Theatre brings Shakespeare鈥檚 heartwarming tale of mystery and magic to life in an original musical, featuring hit songs from the 鈥�80s and 鈥�90s and dynamic choreographed dance numbers. 鈥淭he Winter鈥檚 Tale: A Musical Adaptation鈥� 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 黑料正能量 and JMU students, $10 for children and other students, $18 for seniors (65+), and $20 for adults.

鈥淭he Winter鈥檚 Tale鈥� 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鈥� 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, 鈥淓xit, pursued by a bear,鈥� this sweet and complex romance is written in Shakespeare鈥檚 signature iambic pentameter. But this adaptation adds a 鈥渘ice little twist,鈥� said guest director Haley Davis: a mix of 1980s and 鈥�90s chart-toppers, personally selected by 黑料正能量鈥檚 talented student cast, woven throughout the play. It鈥檚 sure to have the whole audience singing along.

Frequent 黑料正能量 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 鈥�80s and 鈥�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.

鈥淚t鈥檚 more fun when you have the audience right there at your toes,鈥� said Davis, an administrative-professional faculty member of James Madison University鈥檚 School of Theatre and Dance. 鈥淵ou can look up at the heavens or down at the earth, and you have people there to share the moment with.鈥�

It was only after the audition process that it became clear to the production team which play to perform. 鈥淚n a special way, this play was chosen based on the people rather than the other way around,鈥� 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. 鈥淚t was so fun helping pick the music, and it really feels like we鈥檝e made this show ours,鈥� they said.

Hoover, who portrays Leontes and Autolycus, said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 fun getting to play characters who are both so different from each other and from me.鈥�

One of the play鈥檚 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.

鈥淚 want audiences to walk away with a sense of hope,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淭hings can look bleak and cold and scary, but there鈥檚 something better around the corner if we hold on and let time do what it needs to do.鈥�

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

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