HADESTOWN TEEN EDITION | Initial Thoughts and Reaction from a Theatre Teacher

I have so many thoughts to share regarding Concord Theatricals newest acquisition, "Hadestown Teen Edition"! Let me know all of your thoughts in the comments section.
Playbill Article: shorturl.at/gmBCS
License Hadestown Teen Edition: shorturl.at/oqtwA
0:00 A New Teen Musical!
0:57 Initial Thoughts/Concerns
3:19 What are the Changes?
7:51 Final Opinion

[@arrow_of_ravenclaw5155]

Man, all of the good shows are getting youth/teen versions the year after I graduate high school. And the same year my old high school is finally doing musicals again

[@melonyrobinson9944]

My thoughts exactly!!!

[@PointfulOkapi]

What musicals are getting youth versions?

[@arrow_of_ravenclaw5155]

@@PointfulOkapi six, mean girls, everyone’s talking about Jamie, hadestown, and more I’m sure I’m forgetting

[@livelaughlovespock]

omg!!! next spring were having a musical at my high school and i LOVE hadestown! i really hope we get to do this ❤️

[@davidlove236]

This sounds like a show that you’d pick if you already had someone(s) in mind for key parts, like I know our HS director did for a couple of shows.

[@cayleejo]

Potentially! Although I never choose a show when I believe in only have one option for a role 😬, I always like to have a list of people who I think could pull it off. And of course new people sometimes show up and those I’ve known for a while surprise me! It’s always a whirlwind.

[@katieluluchanchee]

As a director and music director at my school, I always have ideas of who might be in certain roles. You have to, or else you risk choosing a show for which you do not have the right actors. You don't decide to do Fiddler on the Roof unless you're pretty sure you have a Tevye. You don't choose Hello, Dolly if you don't have a Dolly. That being said, I don't go into auditions with roles precast. Everyone has an equal shot at getting a role, and every year my original thoughts about casting have not been fully actualized. There have always been surprises, which keeps it exciting.

[@realtyscurry]

I think it depends on the program. Though I think difficult, an experienced high school with decent vocal technique could pull this show off. The beauty is in the gritty and rusticness of the music. I look forward to seeing schools interpretations

[@cayleejo]

Absolutely! There are definitely high schools out there with the talent pool to make it happen.

[@aether.773]

my drama teacher just applied for the rights to this show!! hopefully we can perform it next year!! (update: we got the rights!!)

[@cayleejo]

Wonderful!

[@chocolatesouljah]

High school theatre director here. This was so helpful to start the initial unpack of seeing if this might work. I clicked subscribe with a quickness!

[@andreahopscotch]

I’d rather help teen girls attempt The Fates vocals than help them scream themselves to vocal nodes in Mean Girls. 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@cayleejo]

I’ve never agreed with anything more!

[@LyssyRandom]

I really really wanna do this Bc Eurydice is my biggest dream role ever

[@Christophersss]

I actually bought the score because I was curious. Hades was taken up a considerable amount as his lowest note is not a F2 and in the obc im pretty sure Patrick Paige hits like g1s a few times. Orpheus has been taken down a half a step, as for musician-actors they have given the option to remove them with the only requirement that Orpheus must appear to play the guitar (obv) and a band member has to be hired to play his parts but the Fates instruments can be cut entirely or band members can play them. Hope this helps!

[@Christophersss]

Oh Orpheus has only been taken down for the really high stuff while other songs like Wedding Song stay in the same key.

[@cayleejo]

This is so helpful! You’re right, Hades does hit a G1 several times, hence my concern for a teen trying to tackle that 😅. Thankyou for sharing your findings! I’m planning on reading/analyzing the script this weekend, but I’m really relieved to hear they seem to have made it more accessible for teens! So often these “teen” or “jr” shows don’t seem to do a great job of changing the material. I’m excited to dig into it!

[@thesilverprincess]

I agree with your points, but I would like to point out a lot of schools with big music departments could probably pull it off. I’m glad it’s an option, because I love this show. Edit: I will be doing this show in the fall! Let’s goooooo

[@allison.m]

for expansion of cast, in my schools production of little shop to the urchins that just sang and dances with them and no lines, i feel like the same could happen with the fates. ik that in og greek mythology its only 3 but idk. also the worker chorus could be changed from some in one song, some in the other. also like in six teen edition there is people who will do lyrical dances that tel the song that the queen is singing about, possibly something like that or similar could happen in hadestown. also per life band maybe theater could pair with band and get some of those students to play.

[@cayleejo]

All great suggestions!

[@cobrakaiqueen6959]

This is so interesting! Could you do A Chorus Line vs A Chorus Line Teen Edition next?

[@chasedanzenbaker2430]

My school is doing it next year and I just got a callback for Orpheus!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHH

[@PointfulOkapi]

What school do you go to? Make sure to record it :)

[@chasedanzenbaker2430]

@@PointfulOkapiIndependence HS in VA, I def will lol

[@katieluluchanchee]

The information from Concord Theatricals says "Adjusted vocal arrangements to better accommodate teen voices, *including* modified FATES features *and* transposed keys." It doesn't say that the FATES are the *only* things that have been modified. No teen singer, unless that teen is a vocal prodigy of the largest kind, can sing Orpheus as performed on Broadway, so one has to assume they modified that vocal role. Perhaps check out the Piano Conductor score and compare. It also doesn't say that tracks are the *only* way to perform the teen edition. They offer a digital perusal of the P/C score, and the materials talk about how to accommodate the onstage instrumentalists or just cutting the FATES being instrumentalists. The role of Hades has been bumped up an entire octave, so you don't need a freakishly low voice like Patrick Page's voice to perform that role. High school productions require students to take on heavy roles all the time; just don't choose to produce this one if you don't have someone who can handle that. Just like any show.

[@anerdwhowritesessays9931]

My high school is the first group to perform hadestown in Colorado

[@darian6528]

My school is doing hadestown next spring, and I’m currently preparing for different roles I want to audition as, mainly eurydice!

[@darian6528]

I’m going to be completely honest, I really feel like we can make this show great, there are many talented kids and all of the em have great voices!

[@tappoff]

my school is doing this, and i’m going for orpheus. problem is, one of the other guys is already precasted and i don’t know if i have a chance, do you have any advice?

[@jaxonscalisi6616]

Do you know what songs are optional cuts?

[@cayleejo]

Our Lady of the Underground (Persephone + Chorus), Nothing Changes (Fates), and We Raise Our Cups (Company).

[@jaxonscalisi6616]

@@cayleejo Thanks! :)

[@connor7514]

Hades in the teen version only goes down to an F2 instead of a G1. It's a pretty huge difference making it a lot easier.

[@AmberWilkins-ft6ti]

I think censoring explicit sexual content is a bit silly in a show where rape is a massive metaphor or theme, it just seems like you'd be ignoring a big part of the shows impact to pretend it isn't there.