This year, students at EF Academy brought the story of “Hadestown” to life through choreography, music, and months of hard work and dedication.
Created by Anaïs Mitchell, “Hadestown” is a centuries old tale inspired by the Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice as well as Hades and Persephone. The story follows themes of love, hope, and sacrifice, set between the industrial underground and the world above where poverty and unpredictable seasons are a part of everyday life.
Beyond the story itself, the performances stole the show making “Hadestown” so memorable. The cast used music, acting, and choreography to create the different hellish and hopeful atmospheres. Scenes such as Orpheus traveling to the underworld to rescue Eurydice brought a lot of emotion and tension to the stage. “It was really nice seeing the crowd enjoy the show after so much time preparing for it.” said Bliss, a member of the underground workers.
The past six months the cast and crew have been working tirelessly to bring the story of Hadestown to us. The cast has spent months learning different songs, blocking scenes, and perfecting their characters. For many of the actors, some of the hardest challenges have been learning their own original choreography.
“We spent many hours making and practicing choreographies that were easy for the cast members to learn and do, but also look presentable and tell a story,” said Paulina Hernandez, the co-director and lead choreographer of the show.
Behind the curtain, the stagecraft and production team worked just as hard. From designing and building the entire set to perfectly capture the industrial hellish feel of “Hadestown,” to coordinating lighting, outfits, and every little detail that helps to bring the story of Hadestown to EF.
Makeup artists and costume designers have also been helping the actors fully transform into their characters. “During rehearsals I would plan makeup looks by drawing them out and sometimes practicing them on my own face, during rehearsals and the show, I fixed hair and makeup, helped with costume changes and used headsets for microphone cues and communication,” said Hijiri Nakamatsu.
Building the set for “Hadestown” was one of the biggest challenges of the entire production, because the shows were set between both the world above and the underground of Hadestown, the stagecrew had to create a set that was both visually striking, but functional and technological for quick scene changes. Many unexpected issues popped up throughout the process such as limited time, space, people, and materials as well as last minute adjustments forced the crew to work tirelessly–oftentimes even working on the weekends.
Despite these struggles the students have had a memorable experience from working on the production. “There were multiple times when we had to make lots of last minute adjustments and changes but it ended up being a fun learning experience.” said Kento Suga, head of the stagecraft crew.
This has been a very meaningful and important production to everyone involved as they have all put so much heart into it. It has been much more than just a performance, but a result of their hard work, dedication, and teamwork. From the actors on the stage to the crews working behind the scenes, each person had their own unique role and part in the story. As a part of the production it has definitely left behind not just a memorable show but also an accomplishment the entire school can be proud of.
