The talented cast and crew of Hadestown Teen Edition took audience members on a journey down the Road to Hell in three performances last weekend. The original Hadestown production won eight Tony awards. The book, music, and lyrics are by Anaïs Mitchell, and MICDS is one of the first high schools chosen to produce the musical in the teen version.
A folk opera of two love stories—Orpheus and Eurydice, and King Hades and Persephone—the story is a journey to the underworld and, for two characters, back again. The music is inspired by classic American folk music and vintage New Orleans jazz, and the plot touches on themes of industry versus nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love.
«It is a message that every young person needs to hear, that the biggest dog they’ll ever fight is the voice within their head,» said Carolyn Hood, Upper School Arts Teacher and director of the production. «It’s really important at this time because everybody has those voices, right?» She has long been a fan of the show for both its story and its music. «Hadestown Teen Edition gave the students a chance to reach into their guts and find emotions that we don’t usually get to see high school kids do.»
The production opened with a festive musical number featuring Hermes, played by Tyler Enyard ’25. While Enyard, a natural entertainer, sang and danced the introduction, fellow cast members surged toward the stage from the back of Orthwein Theatre, heading down the side aisles and throwing Mardi Gras beads and wearing masks, evoking the New Orleans jazz flavor of the music.
Soon, the audience met Orpheus and Eurydice, played by Ryan Jan ’25 and Natalie Benoist ’25, two young people struggling to make it in the world. The two characters fall in love before growing apart, and Eurydice succumbs to the promises of security from Hades, played to perfection by Joe Walsh ’25, who invoked an effective deep vocal bass for the role. The audience also met Persephone, wife of Hades and bringer of spring, who, in this telling, deals with the dichotomy of her life by drinking to excess. Sophia Huddleston ’25 was a convincing merrymaker and alcoholic who isn’t so clearly masking her struggles.
Throughout the performance, the Fates, played by Katherine Rose Ellenhorn ’26, Akira Washington ’26, and Lainie Zimmer ’26, floated throughout the various scenes, pushing the plot along while beautifully providing nudges to indecisive characters. The rest of the cast starred mostly as workers in Hades’ underground industry, and their brilliant choreography (also by Huddleston) on a dramatic set evoked a wearying, blighted existence.
«This was the first show I have done in high school and I am glad I tried it out,» said Walsh. «The best part was definitely tech week because it was a real grind, and we got to struggle together as a cast. I found something new I enjoy and may consider doing when I have time outside of schoolwork and football in college.»
Hadestown Teen Edition is the first show for Enyard as well. «It was a great experience to be a part of,» he said. «My favorite parts of the show were Road to Hell, Way Down Hadestown, my dance at the end of Living Up on Top, or anytime I had an umbrella in my hands. The songs were amazing, and I could dance and bring a lot of energy to the stage. It was one of the best experiences I have had throughout high school. I’m really glad Grant Lamartina ’25 convinced me to audition.»
Jan, who counts Hadestown as one of his favorite musicals, also found his role to be a stretch in new directions. «Through this production, I feel like I’ve met several new people and friends,» he said. «My acting has also significantly improved with the help of Ms. Hood. There were definitely challenging parts to the show, specifically with the acting part in certain scenes, as I had to access emotions that I don’t usually feel on a daily basis. Eventually, I settled into the character, and it became easier.»
An extremely talented crew built a versatile set that ranged from a cabaret-style cafe to the dismal underground factory of Hades, complete with smoke and moody lighting. The orchestra was right on the stage, part of the show, while laying down the gorgeous music bed. From scaffolding on wheels to a dramatic tunnel, with a variety of costume changes that underscored the scenes and the emotions of the characters, the crew brought this production to life. Dalton Costick ’26 served as the Assistant Stage Manager, bustling behind the scenes to ensure the performance went smoothly each day. «My favorite part was helping drop the flags during Why Do We Build The Wall. To prepare the flags, I had to go up to the catwalk, but then I got to watch the end of Wait For Me, and seeing the cast spinning around on the scaffolding offstage was such a cool perspective and impressive every time,» he said.
The audience never knew that during one performance, Costick leaped into action to keep backstage safe for the cast and crew. «One of the most difficult challenges for me was when one of our backstage blue lights broke. The purpose of these lights is strictly to make it safe to move and access props backstage, and during one of the performances, I noticed that one of the most important blue lights had tilted downwards and wasn’t properly illuminating the right areas. I walked over to adjust it, and it fell into five pieces. I had to unplug it and take it out of the theater, then take a less necessary blue light to fill its place, before then working to fix the light by the end of that act.» He was able to fix the blue light, ensuring that the musical had fully functioning backstage lighting for the rest of that performance and the others.
Charlie Mills ’26 worked on the set, paint, and lighting crew. «In terms of tech, Hadestown Teen Edition was the culmination of a lot of new ideas and equipment that came together to produce something that was entirely elevated from previous productions,» he said. He enjoyed learning new lighting equipment and using it effectively to set different moods throughout the production. «My favorite part was experimenting with all the cool new effects that we could make. The new lights allowed us to do a lot more effects that previously would not have been possible.»
Mills enjoyed tackling new challenges much as Costick did. «The majority of the challenges lay in having to both physically rewire as well as metaphorically rewire the way that we approached lighting. Physically, we had to completely change the way that we get power to our instruments because we have to draw so much more power from the circuit than previously. In addition, we had to completely change the way that we had to approach building the lights on stage. With so many more moving lights we were able to be more flexible and efficient with how we designed lights,» he said.
At the end of the show, after a standing ovation each time, Huddleston and Benoist motioned for the audience to return to their seats. The cast then led the entire theatre in another rendition of We Raise Our Cups. The audience had been given small paper cups and enthusiastically joined in the toast. This was Benoist’s favorite part. «I think it is such a beautiful moment to end on that really connects with the audience directly. Ms. Hood came up with the idea of including the audience in the toast, and I can’t think of a better ending for the story. The song is a reminder that there are always people out there rooting for the underdog, which is a beautiful message,» she said.
Hood couldn’t agree more. She said, «I feel like in 35 years, Hadestown Teen Edition ranks in the top five in shows I have ever done here.»
The production brought a variety of important lessons and connections to the cast and crew. Costick said, «I gained a lot of knowledge with how to work with people backstage and how to stay calm in stressful situations. When things would go wrong backstage and we needed last-minute fixes, it became my role to fix, and while stressful, it was also exhilarating.»
Mills is proud of his work and credits the closeness of the crew. «This production taught me the value of having not only a team that you can work with but also the necessity of feeling like your team is both a team and a family,» he said. «Tech week was extremely challenging because of all the added complexity from new lights, but because of the extremely skilled and supportive group that was the tech team, we were able to build some amazing things.»
Benoist agreed. «I gained so much from this production. It was a really small cast, the smallest I’ve ever been a part of, and luckily, all of us got along super well. I have gained so many friends from this show, as well as many great life lessons. The music in Hadestown Teen Edition is very complicated, so learning it was challenging but really fun. Music rehearsal days were some of my favorite days because all of us got to come together in one room and listen to everything come to life.»
Thank you, cast and crew of Hadestown Teen Edition, for truly bringing this wonderful show to life. Bravo! Brava!
Hadestown Teen Version was the first play where students had the opportunity to use the new audio/visual system in Orthwein Theatre. A special thanks to the generous donors who made these improvements a reality just in time for our spring musical!
The Cast (in order of appearance)
- Hermes: Tyler Enyard ’25
- Workers
- Carrie Clennan* ’26
- Cam Cozad* ’27
- Riley Crawford ’26
- Jace Felder* ’27
- Samuel Glasser* ’26
- Daniel Kim-Krens ’27
- Grant LaMartina ’25
- Eli Meissner* ’26
- Georgia Murray ’26
- Taylor Nuzum* ’26
- Samantha Sullivan* ’25
- Tess Thompson ’28
- Caitlin Wyckoff ’27
- Fates
- Katherine Rose Ellenhorn* ’26
- Akira Washington ’26
- Lainie Zimmer* ’26
- Persephone: Sophia Huddleston ’25
- Hades: Joe Walsh ’25
- Orpheus: Ryan Jan ’25
- Eurydice: Natalie Benoist* ’25
Production Staff
- Stage Manager: Joe Intagliata* ’25
- Assistant Stage Manager: Dalton Costick* ’26
- Light Board Operator: Max Charnond* ’25
- Audio Operators:
- Ace Derdeyn* ’25
- Paolo Giaimo-Ochoa ’28
- Follow Spot Operators
- Carli Salazar Estrada ’25
- Revathi Warrier ’25
- Norah Wright ’25
- Everett Ott ’26
- Charge Artist: Catherine Dawson* ’26
- Set/Paint/Lighting Crew
- Charlie Mills* ’26
- Joe Intagliata* ’25
- Max Charnond* ’25
- Jackson Vetter* ’25
- Catherine Dawson* ’26
- Paolo Giaimo-Ochoa ’28
- Ace Derdeyn* ’25
- Revathi Warrier ’25
- Arriana Torrento ’28
- Dalton Costick* ’26
- Everett Ott ’26
- Norah Wright ’25
- Nevin Hill ’26
- Nina Schuerer ’25
- Cam Cozad* ’27
- Evie Strope ’25
- Grace Powell* ’26
- Carli Salazar Estrada ’25
- Ryan Jan ’25
- Lola Compton* ’27
- Laila Holmes ’28
- Emerson Pook ’26
- Grant Krainik ’27
- Meredith Mack ’26
- Avery Brooks ’27
- Laurion Nicholson* ’26
- Ellie Chen ’26
- Rustle Varor
- Brooke Dunaway ’28
- Chloe Shamsham ’28
- Lillian Ott ’28
- Sean Michael Farrington ’28
- Caitlin Wyckoff ’27
- Tess Thompson ’28
- Sawyer Merlin ’25
- Tommy Kastor ’28
- Props:
- Grace Powell* ’26
- Laila Holmes ’28
- Poster Design: Hayden Ludwig ’26
- Technical Director: Timothy Henderson, Jr.
*Member of the International Thespian Society
The Orchestra
- Catherine Kopff, Piano
- Adam Kopff, Percussion
- Erin Hamill, Director of Global Learning & Upper School Community Service, and Arts Teacher, Violin
- Ellie Chen ’26, Cello
- Aaron Brown, Guitar
- Robert Lowe, Bass
- Jim Owens, Trombone