Diving into Hadestown: Teen Edition
Hadestown: Teen Edition cast and crew prepares to bring months of dedication to life
As opening night quickly approaches, the cast and crew of BHS’s fall musical, Hadestown: Teen Edition, are prepared to bring a story of love, loss, and perseverance to life.
Set in the Depression Era, the re-imagined post-apocalyptic world of Hadestown presents its characters with many psychological and physical challenges. These powerful, emotionally demanding scenes require a great deal of intense focus, endurance, and a large time commitment from the actors and technicians. As preparation continued into the strenuous hours of tech week, members of the show worked to finalize the last details of the two-and-a-half-hour production.
“Being in theatre is definitely a large time commitment,” Actor Kiana Rugut ‘26 said. “During tech week, we have an eight-hour tech rehearsal that consists of running through the entire show, queue by queue, and that is definitely a long day for everybody involved.”
Through daily rehearsals with demanding hours, the cast developed a deep sense of determination and passion to ultimately create a meaningful show that they can be proud of. Nervousness and uncertainty are often present when trying to put the pieces of any show together, let alone one that is equal to the scale of Hadestown: Teen Edition. However, from the announcement of the show in the Spring of 2025 to its opening night at the end of this week, the unwavering dedication and hope all the students involved carry will eventually come to the forefront as the curtain rises and the characters come alive.
“There is so much memorization that comes with an all-music show, and every year I am in the same position of thinking that we are not going to get this one right,” Actor Kyler Jaunich ‘27 said. “But then all of a sudden it [the show] comes to life, and all the effort we put in is finally able to be seen.”
The moment of realization when all the hard work comes together is why, for members of the cast and crew, the show is beyond a production; it is a testament to their personal passions and shared camaraderie. Beyond the known talent and creativity that the cast holds, their commitment, devotion, and love of performing created a strong culture that meant more than simply being a part of any extracurricular activity.
“Theatre is kind of everything for me right now,” Lead Actress Avery Russek ‘26 said. “It’s my senior year and it’s my last scheduled musical that I’ll be a part of, I don’t know when I’ll be in another show, or where I will be going from here, so it’s just my everything.”
Finally, after months of hard work, the cast and crew’s outpouring of dedication, perseverance, and love for this show will be undoubtedly evident to the audience on November 14th, 15th, 21st, and 22nd. The lights will dim, the music will start, and the show of Hadestown: Teen Edition will begin.
