A rendition of a popular Broadway musical is making an appearance at the Edmonds College Black Box Theatre this spring.
Opening on April 25 and running until May 4, a talented group of young adults and teenagers will be performing a teen edition of the Broadway musical hit “Hadestown.”
Hadestown tells the classic tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice, two lovers who elope in a mythological world of Greek Gods. In the above world, times are “hard and getting harder all the time,” to quote “A Wedding Song,” one of the tunes from the musical, while Hades refuses to let Persephone heal the cold of winter.
Struggling to find sustainable sources of food and water is near impossible and Eurydice stumbles into a tavern where she meets Orpheus. He is a young and hopeful boy whose mentor, Hermes the messenger god, encourages him to court Eurydice.
Orpheus has been composing a song with his lyre that will bring the nutrients of spring flooding back into the above world. Full of twists and turns, Hadestown pulls at heartstrings, induces laughter, and is full of beautifully unique music.
This production will be put on by the Ballyhoo Theater Company based in Edmonds. They have been putting on theatrical productions since 1999. Their cast is made up primarily of college and high school theater students.
The cast of “Hadestown Teen Edition” is excited and proud to show off the result of months of hard work, dedication, and passion. Maia Vasquez, a cast member in the show, had this to say: “I have always found immense joy in performing in theater. Performing is such a passion, but the uniqueness of every new cast I am a part of is the real joy. Theater pulls people together in a bond that is exclusively unique to casts. We’re all here for the same reason: joy, passion, and love.”
Vasquez, an Edmonds College student and recent Kamiak High School graduate, has been performing for several years. She participated in almost all of her high school productions and has recently been seen in “Jesus Christ Superstar” at Village Theater.
“The closest friends I have made have been in the arts,” she said.
The ability to rent the rights to perform “Hadestown” locally was only just published in April of 2024. Many high schools throughout Washington state are seizing the opportunity to perform this show-stopping folk opera musical. But this is not the first Broadway hit that Ballyhoo has put on. In past seasons, they have produced renditions of “Six Teen Edition,” “Urinetown,” “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Chicago Teen Edition,” “Heathers Teen Edition,” and several others throughout the 25-year history of the company.
“Theater is a wonderful expression of art,” Vaquez said. “I think everyone should make a point to participate in the viewing of a theatrical production at least once.”
This upcoming production of “Hadestown Teen Edition” is the perfect opportunity to do just that.
The cast of “Hadestown Teen Edition” welcomes students, families, faculty, and simple art lovers to attend. The exact dates of performances are: Friday, April 25; Saturday, April 26; Sunday, April 27; Friday, May 2; Saturday, May 3; and Sunday, May 4. It should be noted that all performances except the Sunday matinees will begin at 7 p.m. with Sunday shows opening at 2 p.m.
“Hadestown Teen Edition” director Shileah Corey is a jack of all trades in the artistic community. She directs at least four full-length musicals yearly, balancing her directing work with coaching voice, acting, audition preparation, and overseeing the technical design of her shows. She taught full-time at Edmonds K-12 from 1998 to 2016. She is also an award-winning costume designer and had her own clothing manufacturing company for over ten years.
Alumni of Ballyhoo Theater Company have been seen in the professional theater world many times. Graduating from theater programs at universities, some of them now work out of New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, and various other locations.
Tickets are available on the Ballyhoo Theater’s official website.
