Once upon a time, there was a railroad line — and the road to the underworld will start in Scranton this weekend.
That’s how Geneva Tulenan begins the tale of “Hadestown” when she steps onstage as the Greek god Hermes.
'HADESTOWN' SET FOR SCRANTON, WILKES-BARRE
● “Hadestown: Teen Edition” will be performed three times at West Scranton Intermediate School: Friday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. For tickets, visit the Youth Arts Coalition or Scranton Fringe websites. Tickets will also be available at the door.
● Wilkes-Barre Area’s Wolfpack Players also will perform “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” starting today, Thursday, Nov. 20, through Sunday, Nov. 23. Find showtimes, cast and ticket information here.
● For a comprehensive list of events and attractions throughout Northeast Pennsylvania, visit DiscoverNEPA.
In the musical retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and their encounters with gods Hades and Persephone, Hermes acts as the all-knowing leader of the chorus.
“I technically do know what is happening or what’s supposed to be happening,” Tulenan said. “But I can’t change fate.”
The Youth Arts Coalition and Scranton Fringe Festival will present “Hadestown: Teen Edition” this weekend at West Scranton Intermediate School, transporting the audience from the world above to the domain of Hades below.
It's one of two separate productions in the region this weekend.
Wilkes-Barre Area’s Wolfpack Players also will perform “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” starting today, Thursday, Nov. 20, through Sunday, Nov. 23.
'Hadestown: Teen Edition' opens up popular Broadway show for student productions
Tulenan guides the audience through the story, which Hermes warns is a “sad song” and a “tragedy.”
“If you like Greek mythology or if you have seen a musical…you should really come and see the show,” she said. “The twists and turns and the journey you take once you’re here is incredible.”
Director Simone Daniel said up until recently, it was rare for school and student groups to have access to shows while they were still running on Broadway.
“When Fringe was starting this program … we really just asked ourselves, what show are we excited about?” Daniel said. “‘Hadestown’ kept coming up on every list.”
In recent years though, companies like Concord Theatricals, which holds the licensing rights for “Hadestown,” have started releasing teen editions of current Broadway shows. This week, Concord Theatricals announced an upcoming teen edition of Broadway juggernaut “Hamilton.”
“We were really excited because we would have the opportunity to do a show we may not otherwise get to do,” Daniel said.
Daniel says the script is “nearly identical,” to the Broadway version, and that presents particular vocal challenges for the male leads in particular.
“Hades, he sings in the basement, it’s like the deepest voice I’ve ever heard. We have someone who can do that. And then there’s Orpheus, who sings all the way in the rafters,” she said. “We have somebody who can do that too … it’s pretty wild to see a bunch of kids singing like this, it’s really impressive.”
Youth Arts Coalition provides free arts programs for teens in NEPA
Laura Boyle is the president and founder of the Youth Arts Coalition. She started the organization in 2023 to address loss of funding for the arts in area schools.
“My thought was, let’s bring that back…we can get some of the music back into the schools,” she said. “We added visual arts and theater so we have afterschool programs.”
The Youth Arts Coalition provides after school arts programs like the “Hadestown” production for free. Most of their programs take place at the West Scranton Youth Center.
This is their first theatrical production working with the Scranton Fringe Festival.
“This year things have exploded and the building (Youth Center) is booming,” Boyle said. “Between the theater, visual arts and our music classes, it’s thriving. We have so many students in our programs … it’s exactly what we envisioned.”
Ticket sales for “Hadestown” will go toward keeping the Coalition’s programs free. Audiences have three chances to catch the show at West Scranton Intermediate School - Friday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students. They’re available at the door or online at the Youth Arts Coalition or Scranton Fringe websites.
Performers dive into Scranton-centric staging
Daniel said the cast has dug into the mythos and themes of “Hadestown” throughout the rehearsal process, and learned about local history through the twist she has introduced to the staging.
“When I was going through the script, I realized how much exactly there was that related to Scranton’s own history, particularly our coal history and our really prominent place in the history of the labor movement,” she said. “There’s literally a line where Hades says ‘I conduct the Electric City,’" she said — it is, of course, Scranton's nickname.
"So we’ve been leaning into this idea of … setting it in our world at this time when anthracite coal was king in the area. It’s been really fun watching the kids find ways to explore that,” Daniel said.
In this production, when Eurydice strikes a deal with Hades and travels to the underworld, she joins the ranks of souls toiling as coal miners. In the cast’s favorite song to perform, “Why we Build the Wall,” the ensemble hefts large chunks of black rock and turns their headlamps on and off to the beat.
As Hades, Don Riemensnyder oversees it all.
“I get to play this cool, devious kind of villain. I get to walk around like I own the place, I’m in charge of everybody,” he said. “It’s very exciting, I like having that personality.”
This is his second time playing Hades. He first embodied the King of the Underworld at Ovation Playhouse in Wilkes-Barre Twp.
“It's a great show and it's a great cast, so I'm excited to be here again,” he said.
Julia Stewart plays Persephone to Riemensnyder’s Hades.
“She’s my favorite role I’ve ever played. She’s married to Hades, and she finds herself trapped in the underworld because her husband wants her there,” she said. “He’s holding her there a little bit longer than he’s supposed to because she’s what brings spring and summer to the real world.”
At the center of the tale is Orpheus, a poet and musician hoping his song will bring the seasons back into tune. Luke Tellis of Dallas stepped into the role for this production when the original actor had to drop out.
“I loved meeting all of the new people and being put into an environment like this,” he said.
After months of the students’ hard work, Daniel hopes the seats at West Scranton Intermediate will be full this weekend.
“I couldn’t say it any better than the song — ‘It’s a sad song, it’s a tragedy, but we’re going to sing it again,’” she said. “It’s a ride. People should come to go along on the ride. It’s where you expect it to go, but not how you expect to feel. It’s a very beautifully written and performed show.”
