"Hadestown" Musical Needs Young Performers

Abandoned by his mother, a muse, Orpheus was taken under the wing of her friend Hermes, herald of the gods. A gifted poet and lyre-player, he works to write a song to make spring come again, ending a harsh winter and famine. He meets Eurydice when she is seeking reprieve from the cold and immediately falls in love. Naïvely optimistic, he promises that his song will allow him to provide a safe, comfortable life for them in marriage.

Eurydice is a tough, jaded runaway who finds herself vulnerable in the long winter. Though she has never trusted others and prefers to rely only on herself for survival, she feels hopeful when the song Orpheus is writing creates a sign of spring, and she agrees to marry him. Though she finds that she loves him very much, time passes and he still has not completed the song, leaving her to provide for them both.

The stern boss-king of Hadestown. He and his wife Persephone were once deeply in love; she left her life above to rule the underground with him, but she returns for half of each year to bring spring to the Earth. They were happy for a time, but Hades grew lonely and jealous in her absence. He began to return her to the Earth later, and bring her to the underworld earlier each year, creating prolonged winters and the famine from which Orpheus and Eurydice suffer.

Once happily sharing her time between Earth and Hadestown, has grown tired of Hades’ controlling behavior. To cope with her circumstances, she drowns her sorrows in dandelion wine. While Hades clings to the relationship they once had by tightening his grip, she does her best to escape, contributing to a vicious cycle of unhappiness for them both. She is awakened from her constant distraction by Orpheus’ song and the love he shares with Eurydice.

A friend of Orpheus’ mother, Hermes took in the young poet after he was abandoned by his parents. Hermes serves as the show’s narrator, providing context and explaining the action to the audience. The musical is framed as a story Hermes is telling – a “sad song” that is to be sung again and again.

Three sisters, vicious and delicious, The Fates function as Hadestown’s Greek chorus, commenting on the musical’s action and giving insight as to the thoughts, insecurities and doubts of the story’s characters. This often takes the form of taunting them with sadistic pleasure. However, their actions are passive – simply an artistic reflection of the characters’ own psyches.

Spirits of labor and community, a physical and choral presence. They dance in celebration and they dance in mourning. They act as the elements of our tragic tale.