Save the Date: Emo Takes the Stage: Rebel Performing Arts Presents 'Sugar, We're Goin' Emo'

Alamogordo NM- For anyone who once wore black eyeliner to homeroom, mouthed every word of a breakup song in the car, or found comfort in a band that seemed to understand exactly how they felt, Rebel Performing Arts has a show for you coming to Otero Arts in the cultural Arts District at 12th Street and Indiana. 

Sugar, We're Goin' Emo, a new musical revue celebrating the music and memories of the emo era, opens Friday, Nov. 13, at Otero Artspace, 1118 Indiana Ave. in Alamogordo. The production brings together a cast of local performers and a live band for a night that moves from vulnerable ballads to explosive, sing-along anthems — the kind of music that defined a generation raised on bands like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and Paramore.

Where the emo kid meets the theatre kid

The show is co-directed by husband-and-wife team Andy and Amy Bethard, who describe the production as a collision of their two worlds.

"Andy is the quintessential emo kid, and I'm the theatre kid," Amy Bethard said. "We've been together for 17 years, and our shared love of emo music is part of our story. This show combines his love for the music with my love for theatrical storytelling."

The result, she said, is a production that treats the genre with the seriousness its fans have always felt it deserved.

A young company with a growing track record

Rebel Performing Arts, which has also performed under the name Rebel Music Theatre, is one of Alamogordo's newest theater groups. It was founded in 2025 by local theater veterans Rosemary "Rosie" Daffern, Jordynn Marelich and Tabitha Plante, with a mission to empower performers, encourage conversations about mental health through the arts, and broaden the city's creative offerings.

The company debuted with A Night of Broadway Revue, then returned to Otero Artspace in September 2025 with Decades in Harmony, a revue of songs that shaped generations. At the time, 2nd Life Media Alamogordo Town News described the group as part of a growing arts corridor around Otero Artspace near 12th Street and Indiana Avenue, just blocks from the revitalization of New York Avenue's 1100 and 1200 blocks. This past May, the company staged The Aux Chronicles, a revue built around the hits that defined a decade and featuring performers from several generations.

Sugar, We're Goin' Emo is the latest in that string of revues, and its focus on vulnerability and feeling understood fits squarely within the company's mental-health mission.

"Never just a phase"

Emo has long been the punchline of jokes about angsty teenagers, and Bethard said one of her goals was to push back on the idea that it's just noise.

"Beneath the guitars and screaming vocals are powerful stories about love, heartbreak, identity, belonging and growing up," she said. "Emo music was never 'just a phase.' It's storytelling. It's vulnerability. It's finding comfort in knowing someone else has felt the same things you have."

That emotional honesty, she said, is a natural fit for the stage. "When you combine that with the energy and creativity of theatre, you get something truly special. I truly believe there's an emo song for everyone."

A local team — and a live band

Beyond the nostalgia, the production is a showcase for local talent. Jonece Tallant serves as producer and Jordynn Marelich as music director, with Bradley Oliver and Rosie Daffern as choreographers. Marelich and Daffern are both co-founders of the company.

This time the music will be performed by a live band, led by Corey Shumard, something the directors say they are especially excited about. Like the company's earlier shows, the revue strings songs together rather than following a single plot, moving through the genre's full emotional range from quiet, confessional ballads to loud, fast anthems made for singing along.

"This production highlights the creativity and passion of local performers coming together to celebrate a genre that means so much to so many people," Bethard said.

If you go

• What: Sugar, We're Goin' Emo, a musical revue presented by Rebel Performing Arts
• Where: Otero Artspace, 1118 Indiana Ave., Alamogordo, N.M.
• When: Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m.; matinee Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m.
• Tickets: On sale now at zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/sugar-were-goin-emo. The venue is intimate and seating is limited, so early purchase is recommended.

We will be doing a followup story with cast notes and photos and more stay turned but until then purchase your tickets these shows sell out fast! 

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