The ConVal Theater Department spring musical, “Hadestown,” will be performed April 17 to 19, at 7 p.m. at the Lucy Hurlin Theatre at ConVal High School.

“Hadestown,” which originated in regional theater in Vermont, has been a hit on Broadway since 2019, and won eight Tony Awards its first year on Broadway. The show released the first “teen version” of the script for performance by high schools in fall 2024. 

The cast features Lukas Baker as Hermes, Megan Millbauer, Keira Schaub, and Amanda Bergeron as Fates, Anneliese Strong as Persephone, Cadence Christian, Brook Naglie and Miranda Ellis as the Shadow Fates, Aramis Olivo as Hades, Jenna Bergeron and Ella Stultz as Featured Workers, Ezra Moritz,  Charlotte Sanders, Luke Schoel, DJ Stevens and Leah Winslow as Workers, Ben Michaud as Orpheus and Kalyn “Robin” Ross as Eurydice. 

ConVal theater teacher Elizabeth Moore will direct. Choral director Brian Moore is musical director, and Eve Pierce is choreographer. 

Michaud, who is the stage manager as well as Orpheus,  said this was his first time playing the lead in a musical.

“The show is going really well. Both the Moores and Eve are phenomenal,” Michaud said. “Eve is tough on us, which is really good. She knows I’m not a dancer! The Moores have been helping me with anything that I need, whether it is singing help or acting help, and it has just been great.” 

Pierce, a singer/songwriter and ConVal alumna, said she is delighted to be back with ConVal as choreographer. 

“They recruited me right to come back right after I graduated from college, so this was my first job in my preferred career field. I have had such a good time that I just came back every year. I just love working with high-schoolers, ” Pierce said.

“We’re very grateful to have her back,” Liz Moore said. 

Brian Moore said the teen version of the play is the same length as the Broadway show, and that the only real adaptation is in the music.

“It is altered for teen voices because the original show is written for adult, professional singers and has quite a wide range; it is actually very difficult to perform, even for professionals,” Moore said. “Teen voices typically have a more limited range as their voices are still maturing.”

Brian Moore said the last week of rehearsals was a little challenging because many cast members were out sick. 

“But we will carry on. That’s high school theater,” he said. 

“Hadestown,” written by Anais Mitchell, retells the Greek myth of Eurydice and Orpheus. Eurydice,  a young Greek woman, wanders the underworld trying to escape poverty and hunger, as her lover, Orpheus searches for her. 

“The kids have put a lot into this show. I think they have put more additional work into this play than any I have ever seen,” Liz Moore said “They just want to go home and work on it. We have not had to say, ‘OK, guys, we have to get these lines down,’ because they already know them. I think the story really resonates with them.” 

Christian, a sophomore who plays Shadow Fate  No. 1,  said things were going well so far,

“I feel like this is one of the best plays I’ve been in, since ‘Newsies,’ which was the first play I ever did here,” Christian said. 

Millbauer, a sophomore who has seen “Hadestown” on Broadway, said the show is amazing.

“I’ve always loved this show, and it’s really fun to be a part of it,” she said. 

The show is two hours and 10 minutes with an intermission. To reserve tickets,  which are $10, go to onthestage.tickets/show/conval-high-school/6750958109e9a2100fa9b647/tickets#/productions-view.