THE HOBBY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
DEAR FRIENDS,
It’s an old song… Hadestown captivated audiences when it first opened on Broadway in 2019, and after a 13-year journey to the Great White Way, it swept the Tony Awards with eight wins including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, and Best Direction of a Musical. Seven months later, the production took home the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. It has been charming audiences on the road since 2021. Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and original director Rachel Chavkin, with original choreographer David Neumann, combined the power of well-known tragic myths of antiquity with the captivating rhythms of New Orleans jazz. It’s an incredible production to revisit and we’re thrilled to welcome it back to the Hobby Center following our first visit in October 2022.
This month we were thrilled to announce the 2026 – 2027 Memorial Hermann Broadway at the Hobby Center Season. Next fall will open with the beloved family favorite, Rogers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, followed by the return of another 2019 hit, Beetlejuice, and the Tony Award winning Buena Vista Social Club, a personal favorite of mine! Winter 2027 brings five new tours straight from New York, starting with The Notebook and Boop the Musical in January, Hell’s Kitchen in March, Death Becomes Her in April, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in June. We are elated to welcome the return of Wicked for five weeks in June 2027, followed by our season closer, Jersey Boys, in August. Thank you to those who have already joined us as subscribers. If you are interested in becoming a season subscriber, please visit BroadwayAtTheHobbyCenter.com for more information.
The Hobby Center’s expanded mission and vision incorporate and build on the legacy and success of Broadway in Houston by expanding audience access to Broadway through community engagement activities year-round. So far this season our team has arranged audience talkbacks after Kimberly Akimbo, A Beautiful Noise, and The Outsiders, a master class for high school students with artists from Kimberly Akimbo, and tactile tours for guests with vision loss to experience the sets, props, and costumes of productions through touch. Last month at a performance of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, we welcomed 85 fine arts directors and leaders from 10 school districts for an evening of networking, gratitude, and Disney magic.
Thank you for joining us again, or for the first time. Enjoy the show!
Sincerely,
Mark Folkes President and CEO
The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
Mark Folkes, President and CEO
The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
Al Torres
Photography
Hadestown North American Touring Company, 2025. Photo by: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.
THE HEART OF HADESTOWN: ANAÏS MITCHELL AND RACHEL CHAVKIN ON THEIR TONY-WINNING COLLABORATION
STORY BY BROADWAY.COM STAFF
Hadestown is a musical that stirs deep emotions, blending myth, music and raw feeling into a unique theatrical experience. At the core of its power are two visionary artists: Anaïs Mitchell, the singer-songwriter who conceived the story, and Rachel Chavkin, the director who brought it to life. Their collaboration has resulted in a Tony Award-winning show, earning eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Direction of a Musical. Mitchell and Chavkin shared insights into their creative process in a conversation with Broadway.com Managing Editor Beth Stevens.
The seeds for Hadestown were planted in an unexpected moment of inspiration. Mitchell recalls, “I was driving in my car, and these lyrics came into my head: ‘Wait for me, I’m coming in my garters and pearls with what melody did you barter me from the wicked underworld?’” While those specific lyrics didn’t make it into the show, the melody for “Wait for Me” stayed with her, becoming one of the musical’s defining songs.
When Mitchell and Chavkin first began working together, their discussions were abstract and exploratory. “We met, and it was like, ‘Let’s try to talk about collaboration in abstract ways,’ which is totally impossible,” Chavkin laughs. But the process shifted when Chavkin broke through the formalities. “Finally, I was like, ‘Can I just tell you what I would do if I was the director?’” she recalls. “Anaïs
Rudy Foster (Hermes) and the Hadestown North American Touring Company, 2025.
Photo by: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.
was like, ‘Oh my God! Please do that!’” From then on, their partnership flourished, laying the foundation for the show’s dramatic pulse.
The music of Hadestown blends New Orleans jazz and bigband influences to create a sound that mirrors the show’s emotional journey. Chavkin points to the song “Wait for Me” as a key example, highlighting how its surging chorus embodies themes of longing and determination. “The music has a forward-and-back motion,” she says, “which mirrors the journey of a hero who bends time and space to be reunited with his lover.”
Beyond the music, the emotional heart of Hadestown lies in its characters, especially the love story between Orpheus and Eurydice, and the complex dynamics between Hades and Persephone. Chavkin describes the show’s ability to move audiences as one of its greatest strengths: “It’s deeply warm and beautiful in a way that is spiritually moving,” she says. “I want everyone singing Hadestown. It cracks my rib cage open every time I see it.”
Mitchell shares that her goal was to create a musical that resonates on multiple levels. “Hopefully, as Rachel is saying, it hits you in the heart, but it’s also very kinetic—it moves you physically too,” she explains. “It’s something you can feel in your body.”
Chavkin’s vision for the production extended beyond the music to influence the show’s visual design. She worked closely with set designer Rachel Hauck to craft a world that feels both mythic and grounded. “The show begins with the feeling of being in Preservation Hall, but then transforms into an oil drum,” Chavkin explains. “We wanted the set to feel like a place where worlds collide—where the mythic meets the gritty reality of industry.”
Hadestown offers a unique experience: “It’s not just a show you watch—it’s a show you feel,” Chavkin notes. “There’s something for everyone in the show,” Mitchell says. “It hits you in the heart, in the body and in the soul.”
For more in-depth interviews, up-to-date news and show reviews on Broadway, visit Broadway.com.
Nickolaus Colón (Hades) in Hadestown North American Tour, 2024. Photo by: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.
INTERPRETING THE DETAILS BEHIND THE GREAT GATSBY’S TONY AWARD-WINNING COSTUME DESIGN
TWO-TIME TONY WINNER LINDA CHO DESCRIBES THE CREATION OF THE LAVISH 1920S CLOTHING FOR THE MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF THE BELOVED NOVEL.
STORY BY RUTHIE FIERBERG
In adapting F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel The Great Gatsby for the stage, book writer Kait Kerrigan, composer Jason Howland and lyricist Nathan Tysen needed to conjure the world millions of readers have imagined and fallen in love with for the past century. The Great Gatsby is set in the Roaring ’20s Jazz Age on a fictionalized cove of Long Island. Costume designer Linda Cho, alongside associate designer Patrick Bevilacqua, needed the costumes to match the extravagance of the era and the dreams of its fans. Here, Cho discusses her vision for the Tony Award-winning wardrobe of the musical.
On her full-scale inspiration:
Linda Cho: The directive that I was given was: Let’s design The Great Gatsby of everyone’s imagination. The Great Gatsby conjures up visions of unchecked extravagance, glittering decadence, carefree flappers and longing beyond reason. I wanted to transport the audience into this 1920s world through the lens of our contemporary eyes. This means pushing these ideas even further than what might have been realistic — and blending modern and period silhouettes and sensibilities.
The Broadway cast of The Great Gatsby (c) Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman (1)
Daisy Buchanan
Cho: I wanted Daisy to look like she owns the space, to “the manner born” so to speak. The gauzy white curtains of the palatial room she occupies are echoed into her breezy handkerchief hems and waterfall shoulder drape. I wanted her look to evoke lazy summer, a dress to lay about in, drink champagne and nothing else.
Jay Gatsby
Cho: I have to credit [author F. Scott] Fitzgerald for [this color]. In the book, Tom makes a point of sneering at Gatsby’s pink suit. Also on a visual level I liked the romantic palette of soft pink alongside Daisy’s robin’s egg blue-colored chiffon dress in this scene where they finally come together after years of separation. Our narrator Nick’s suits are meant to evoke an older period with coarser fabrics and more practical details for a working man. In contrast, Tom and Jay would have bespoke tailors with classic lines — with Jay making bolder color (pink) and fabric (glossier) choices.
Gilda Gray
Cho: I wanted a dramatic silhouette that harkens back to a slightly earlier era and the Poiret evening coats of World War I since Gatsby is trying to re-create the past when he first meets Daisy. For the headdress, I was inspired by Paul Tate DePoo’s set image of the Art Deco arches in the background.
To hear more from Cho, check out Broadway News’ podcast series “5 minutes with a Tony nominee” on broadwaynews.com and search for Linda Cho.
The Great Gatsby is playing at the Hobby Center March 3-8. For tickets visit BroadwayAtTheHobbyCenter.com For more in-depth interviews, up-to-date news and show reviews on Broadway, visit BroadwayNews.com.
Samantha Pauly (center) & cast in the Broadway production of The Great Gatsby (c) Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
CAST
Hades NICKOLAUS COLÓN
Orpheus JOSE CONTRERAS
Hermes ........................................................................................................................... RUDY FOSTER
Eurydice ..................................................................................................................... HAWA KAMARA
Persephone NAMISA MDLALOSE BIZANA
Fates GIA KEDDY, MIRIAM NAVARRETE, JAYNA WESCOATT
Workers Chorus JONICE BERNARD, RYAAN FARHADI, ERIN McMILLEN, MIRACLE MYLES, JOE RUMI
SWINGS
RICKY CARDENAS, MICHELLE E. CARTER, XAVIER McKNIGHT, JULIA SCHICK
UNDERSTUDIES
Understudies are in alphabetical order and never substitute for the listed performers unless a specific announcement is made at the time of the appearance.
for Orpheus—RICKY CARDENAS, MIRACLE MYLES; for Eurydice—ERIN McMILLEN, JULIA SCHICK; for Persephone—MICHELLE E. CARTER, MIRIAM NAVARRETE; for Hades—RYAAN FARHADI, XAVIER McKNIGHT; for Hermes— XAVIER McKNIGHT, JOE RUMI; for Fates—JONICE BERNARD, MICHELLE E. CARTER, ERIN McMILLEN, JULIA SCHICK
Co-Dance Captains—MICHELLE E. CARTER, JULIA SCHICK Fight Captain—RICKY CARDENAS
THERE WILL BE ONE 15-MINUTE INTERMISSION. PERFORMANCE TIME IS APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS & 30 MINUTES.
ORCHESTRA
Music Director/Piano—ARMAN WALI MOHAMMAD Assistant Music Director/Violin—JESSIE BITTNER Trombone/Glockenspiel—HAIK DEMIRCHIAN Double Bass—NYA HOLMES Cello—GABRIELLE HOOPER Drums/Percussion—LUMANYANO MZI Guitar—SAM WADE
Music Contractor—KEITH LEVENSON
The use of any recording device, either audio or video, and the taking of photographs, either with or without flash, is strictly prohibited. Please turn off all electronic devices such as cellular phones, beepers and watches
NICKOLAUS COLÓN JOSE CONTRERAS
GIA KEDDY
MIRIAM NAVARRETE JAYNA WESCOATT
ERIN McMILLEN
MIRACLE MYLES
JOE RUMI
JULIA SCHICK
JONICE BERNARD
RICKY CARDENAS
MICHELLE E. CARTER RYAAN FARHADI XAVIER McKNIGHT
RUDY FOSTER
HAWA KAMARA NAMISA MDLALOSE BIZANA
WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST
NICKOLAUS COLÓN (Hades). Graduate of UNCSA drama and recent winner of the CT Critics Circle Awards for Featured Actor in a Musical playing Don in Kinky Boots. Credits include national tour: Fiddler on the Roof (Mordcha), Dirty Dancing (Billy Kostecki). NCL: Kinky Boots (Don), Rock of Ages (Dennis) and many more regional productions.
JOSE CONTRERAS (Orpheus) is honored to be joining the cast of Hadestown in his touring debut! “Shoutouts to my buddy Zack for teaching me guitar, my mentor Jamon Maple and my team Josh and Aimee at ASA. Endless love to my family Mare, Carlos, Andrea and Pia for always reminding me that ‘stars can’t shine without darkness.’” ;) Follow @jose_contreras_official.
RUDY FOSTER (Hermes). National tour: Ain’t Too Proud (226 performances as Otis Williams). Regional: Sister Act (Eddie), Hair (Claude), Les Misérables (Enjolras). “Thanks to Mom and Dad, DDO and the world we dream about. Let’s GROW and let’s GLOW! For Mr. Lees and Mr. Ledford.” @rudy_the_star.
HAWA KAMARA (Eurydice) [they/ she] made history by being the first Black actor to play Wendy Darling in the Peter Pan national tour. Recent credits include The Great Gatsby, original Seoul production (u/s Daisy, Ensemble). Much love and thanks to family and friends, Hell’s Kitchen Agency and Whitley and Dunn casting for this dream-fulfilling opportunity! @_hawakamara.
NAMISA MDLALOSE BIZANA (Persephone) is an award-winning actor from South Africa. Namisa graduated from UCT with a degree in theater-making. Theater: The Full Monty (NSMT), The Color Purple (The Joburg Theatre), Kinky Boots (The Fugard Theatre). Readings: Hero (dir. Shariffa Ali), The King’s Wife (dir. Tamilla
Woodard). Animation: Monde on Supa Team 4 (Netflix).
GIA KEDDY (Fate). National tour debut! Credits: Natalie in Next to Normal (Second Stage Studios), Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical The Musical (The Argyle Theatre) and Cheshire Cat in Alice By Heart (Stage 74). “Thank you friends and family, Mom, Dad, Niko, Vinny, Nina and Evangelina for pushing me to do what I love most (and harmonizing with me when I force you to). I love you guys so much! Huge thank you to Whitley Theatrical! Let’s sing it again!” @giakeddy.
MIRIAM NAVARRETE (Fate, u/s Persephone) is overjoyed to be a part of this incredible production. Recent/ favorite credits include Elsa (Disney Cruise Line), Nina (In the Heights). She would like to thank Dottridge Talent, her family and friends for their continuous support. IG: __mimz__.
JAYNA WESCOATT (Fate) is excited to join her first national tour! From Honolulu, Hawai’i, she received her B.F.A. from Ithaca College, and recently performed with Princess Cruises. Jayna wants to thank her parents, Jamie and Wren for always cheering her on the loudest.
JONICE BERNARD (Worker, u/s Fates) [they/them]. Credits include The Color Purple (Phoenix Theatre Company), Disney Cruise Line, Hong Kong Disneyland, Hearts Beat Loud (MCC Theater). “Much love to PMA, my family, friends and all the black, queer people who came before me.” @jonicebernard.
RICKY CARDENAS (Swing, Fight Captain, u/s Orpheus) is so grateful to be making his national tour debut! Credits: Gordon in Rent (The Muny), Mike Costa in A Chorus Line (New London Barn Playhouse). He would like to thank his family, friends and agents at Bloc for all their continuous support. @rickyycardenas.
MICHELLE E. CARTER (Swing, Co-Dance Captain, u/s Persephone, u/s Fates). Tours: Cats (Jennyanydots). Select regional: Signature Theatre—A Chorus Line, Legacy Theatre—Julie Andrews’ The Great American Mousical, Barrington Stage Company—The Royal Family of Broadway. Marymount Manhattan College. Take 3 Talent. For Stephen, Mom and Don. @idtapthat03. michelle-e-carter.com.
RYAAN FARHADI (Worker, u/s Hades). National tour: Come From Away (Kevin J/Ali), Lincoln Center’s My Fair Lady. Regional: The REV’s Jesus Christ Superstar, Hunchback. Love to his family, PMA and all the choir teachers who let him sing the bass part in middle school. @ryaanfarhadi.
XAVIER McKNIGHT (Swing, u/s Hades, u/s Hermes) is elated to be joining this incredible company! National tours: How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Dog Man The Musical, Cat’s Pajamas Vocal Band. Favorite regional: Shrek The Musical, Mamma Mia!, Spelling Bee. Much love to my husband, Jay Jay! @xaviermcknight
ERIN McMILLEN (Worker, u/s Eurydice, u/s Fates) is delighted to return to Hadestown! Recent credits include Madame Clicquot (world premiere, PCLO) and Jekyll & Hyde (Wolfbane Productions). Endless thanks to Mom, Terry, Sam and her team at The Mine for their support. Follow along @erinmcmillen and erinmcmillen.com!
MIRACLE MYLES (Worker, u/s Orpheus) is thrilled to be making his national tour debut! Recent graduate from the University of Northern Colorado (B.F.A. in musical theater, 2023). Credits: Ren McCormack (Footloose), Henri Christoph (Francois & The Rebels), Mark Cohen (Rent). “Love to my friends, family, team and DDO.” IG: @miracle.myles.
JOE RUMI (Worker, u/s Hermes) is honored to be making his national tour debut with Hadestown. TV: “Law & Order.” Workshops: Exist (dir. Marina Montesanti), M¯ay¯a (dir. Arpita Mukherjee). Pace MT, ’22. “Big love to my team at Take3Talent, my chosen family and most importantly, my mama.” @joe.rumi.
JULIA SCHICK (Swing, Co-Dance Captain, u/s Eurydice, u/s Fates). Professional: Kiminy in After Pinocchio: A New Musical (Yaya Theatre Company). Educational: Asaka in Once on This Island, Rona in 25th Annual…Spelling Bee (CCM). Touring debut and recent graduate from UC-CCM! @julia.l.schick. julialschick.com.
ANAÏS MITCHELL (Music, Lyrics & Book) is a Tony and Grammy Awardwinning singer-songwriter whose recordings include the original studio album of Hadestown (2010), Young Man in America (2012), Bonny Light Horseman (2019, as Bonny Light Horseman) and Anaïs Mitchell (2022). She was named to the TIME100 list of the Most Influential People in the World in 2020 and her first book Working on a Song: The Lyrics of Hadestown was published by Plume/ Penguin the same year. She headlines shows worldwide and her music has featured regularly on “Best-Of” lists, including NPR, The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal Hadestown is Anaïs’s first musical.
RACHEL CHAVKIN (Original Broadway Director and Tour Concept) is a Tony Award-winning director, writer and artistic director of Brooklyn-based collective, the TEAM. Hadestown (NYTW, National Theatre, London) has been one of her greatest joys. Tony and Lortel nominations and Drama Desk Award for Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Broadway, Ars Nova, A.R.T.). London: Mission Drift (National Theatre), American Clock (Old Vic). Select New York and regional: Marco
Ramirez’s The Royale (LCT; Obie Award, Drama Desk and Lortel nominations), Malloy’s Preludes (LCT3), Bess Wohl’s Small Mouth Sounds (Ars Nova and national tour), Carson Kreitzer’s and Matt Gould’s Lempicka (Williamstown Theatre Festival), The Royal Family (Guthrie Theater) and multiple collaborations with Taylor Mac. Her first film, Remind Me, was an official selection of the Venice and Beverly Hills Film Festivals. 2017 Smithsonian Award for Ingenuity. Proud NYTW Usual Suspect and Member SDC.
DAVID NEUMANN (Original Broadway Choreographer). Film: I Am Legend, Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach). Choreography: An Octoroon and Futurity (Soho Rep); Antipodes (Signature Theatre); Underground Railroad Game (Ars Nova); Hagoromo and Home (BAM); The Antipodes (Signature Theatre). Collaborator and performer: Laurie Anderson, Big Dance Theater, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Doug Elkins. Director: The Object Lesson (NYTW, BAM). Artistic director, Advanced Beginner Group (P.S.122, NY Live Arts, The Kitchen, Symphony Space, Abrons Art Center, The Chocolate Factory, The Whitney, Walker Art Center, MASS MoCA). Recipient of 2020 Obie Award, 2019 Chita Rivera Award, three Bessie Awards for dance/performance, Tony nominee for Hadestown, Lucille Lortel and Helen Hayes awards nominee.
KEENAN TYLER OLIPHANT
(Director). Broadway: Hadestown (associate director). Off-Broadway: Terce: a practical breviary, Here Arts; Will You Come with Me?, PlayCo; Oratorio for Living Things, Ars Nova (associate director). OffOff-Broadway: To the Ends of the Earth, JACK; Oyster Radio Hour, Little Island; Kyk Hoe Skyn die Son, Clubbed Thumb Winterworks; queen, Dixon Place. Regional: Gatsby, A.R.T Associate Director Drama League Fellow 2021/2022; Clubbed Thumb
Directing Fellow 2020/2021. M.F.A. Columbia University.
T OLIVER REID (Choreographer). B’way credits include Hadestown; Once on This Island; Sunset Boulevard; After Midnight; Sister Act; Mary Poppins; The Wedding Singer; Chicago; La Cage aux Folles; Never Gonna Dance; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Follies; Kiss Me, Kate. Wrote, directed, and starred in award-winning Drop Me Off in Harlem. Choreographer: Universal’s Bros Asc. Choreographer: Hadestown and Netflix’s White Noise. Asc. Movement Dir.: Death of a Salesman. Faculty: NYU-Tisch and Rider University. Board of Visitors: UNCSA. Co-Founder: Black Theatre Coalition. @toliverreid.
DAVID L. ARSENAULT (Scenic Design). As a designer and associate in theater, opera and dance, David’s work has been seen on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regionally and internationally. Broadway and national tour associate work includes The Color Purple (2015), Jesus Christ Superstar (50th Anniversary Tour). Regional credits include The Kennedy Center, Gulfshore Playhouse, Kitchen Theatre Company, Geva Theatre, Northern Stage and George Street Playhouse. International: English Theatre Berlin and Theatre Royal Bath (upcoming). davidarsenaultdesign.com.
RACHEL HAUCK (Original Broadway Scenic Design). Broadway: Hadestown (Tony Award, Drama Desk and Outer Critics nominations), What the Constitution Means to Me, Latin History for Morons. Recent work: The Wrong Man (MCC); Hadestown (National Theatre, Citadel, NYTW); Hurricane Diane (NYTW); Othello, Twelfth Night (Shakespeare in the Park); The Lucky Ones (Ars Nova); You’ll Still Call Me By Name (Sonya Tayeh/ Jacob’s Pillow). Princess Grace, Lilly Awards; Drama Desk, Lortel nominations; Obie Award for Sustained Excellence. “Black lives matter.”
MICHAEL KRASS (Costume Design).
Broadway: Tony nominations for Hadestown, Noises Off, Machinal and The Constant Wife; plus Charlie Brown, Twelve Angry Men, Heisenberg, new plays by Stephen Belber, Nicky Silver, Elaine May, more, and What the Constitution Means to Me. OffBroadway: premieres by Edward Albee, Christopher Durang, John Guare, Teresa Rebeck, Sarah Treem, John Kander/Greg Pierce, Will Eno, Lauren Yee, Lisa Loomer, Donald Marguilies, etc. He teaches in the graduate program at Brown University.
AJA JACKSON (Lighting Design).
Honored to join the Hadestown journey! Off-Broadway: A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet and Rock and Roll Man. Broadway: Fat Ham (associate). Regional (selected): Huntington Theatre Company, American Repertory Theater, The Alley, The Everyman Theatre and Hartford Stage. Dance: Ailey 2, Hubbard Street Dance. Work with Bradley King: Fat Ham, Lempicka, Monsoon Wedding, Goddess. Board Chair of Brighter Boston. Proud member of USA 829. ajajacksonlighting.com. IG: @ajamjackson.
BRADLEY KING (Original Broadway Lighting Design). With Rachel Chavkin: Hadestown, The Great Comet, Moby Dick, Lempicka, Preludes and many others. Broadway: Hadestown (Tony, Drama Desk), Flying Over Sunset, Bernhardt/ Hamlet, The Great Comet (Tony, Drama Desk). Off-Broadway: shows for MCC Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Playwrights Horizons, Atlantic Theater Company, New York Theatre Workshop, Signature Theatre and many others. Numerous regional theater and opera productions across the U.S. and worldwide. M.F.A.: NYU. On the web at bradleykingld.com.
NEVIN STEINBERG (Sound Design). Broadway: Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (Tony nomination), Hadestown
(Tony Award), Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Freestyle Love Supreme, The Cher Show, Bandstand, Bright Star, It Shoulda Been You, Mothers and Sons, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Tony nomination), The Performers, Magic/Bird. Over 30 other Broadway productions with Acme Sound Partners and five additional Tony nominations: The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Fences, Hair and In the Heights
JESSICA PAZ (Sound Design). Twelfth Night, Othello, Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Miss You Like Hell (The Public Theater); Welcome to Fear City (KC Rep); Burn All Night (A.R.T); A Sucker Emcee, The Muscles in Our Toes (LAByrinth Theater Company); Ugly Lies the Bone (Roundabout Theatre Company); Becoming Dr. Ruth (Westside Theatre); Looking for the Pony (Vital Theatre Company); Women Beware Women (Red Bull Theater); Stretch (a fantasia) (New Georges). Tony, Drama Desk winner for Best Sound Design for Hadestown.
CODY OWEN STINE (Music Supervisor) is a composer, songwriter music director and multi-instrumentalist. Resident composer for adult|children collective. Broadway includes Hadestown, The Outsiders, Moulin Rouge!, Spongebob Squarepants, Finding Neverland. Cast albums: Miss You Like Hell, The Robber Bridegroom, Jonathan Larson Project, Liz Swados Project. 2019 Jonathan Larson Grant finalist; 2019 commissioned writer, Williamstown Theatre Festival. codyowenstine.com.
LIAM ROBINSON (Music Consultant & Vocal Arrangements). Broadway: War Horse (Songman, original cast); music director and vocal arranger for Hadestown Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop (cast member), Canada’s Citadel Theatre and London’s National Theatre; orchestrator/co-producer National Anthem: Arise! Arise! robinsonandrohe.com.
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MICHAEL CHORNEY (Arrangements & Orchestrations) leads ensembles from trio to big band that perform his compositions and songs. As an arranger he has created tributes to Sun Ra, Kurt Weill and Paul Bowles. He has made a bunch of records as a leader, producer and instrumentalist. Michael has been a part of Hadestown since its inception in Vermont.
TODD SICKAFOOSE (Arrangements & Orchestrations) is a Tony and Grammy award-winning composer, producer, arranger, orchestrator, bandleader and double bassist. He produced, coarranged and performed on the original Hadestown album, co-produced both Hadestown cast recordings and produced and arranged Anaïs Mitchell’s album Young Man in America. Since 2004, Sickafoose has performed internationally with Ani DiFranco. Writing for his band Tiny Resistors, he recently created Bear Proof, a chamber jazz hybrid commissioned by the Doris Duke Foundation.
ARMAN WALI MOHAMMAD (Music Director) [he/him] is a music director, pianist, and arranger who is involved in a diverse collection of music making with many international friends and collaborators. He has strong influences from Pashtun and Arabic music, as well as jazz. He recently has recorded with Nate Smith and Chris Potter. Arman has also performed with and arranged for current Broadway artists Abby Mueller, Thayne Jasperson, Elizabeth Stanley, and others, in cabarets over the last few years. He is extraordinarily excited to be on the Hadestown tour!
KEITH LEVENSON (Music Contractor) is delighted to be working with the Hadestown team. His most recent credit is touring worldwide with The Who. keithlevenson.com.
JENNIFER MULLINS (Hair & Wig Design). After over a decade as a wig maker for feature films and episodic television, Jennifer is now designing in the theatrical world. Beginning her
career at 15 years old as a licensed hairdresser, Jennifer’s goal has always been to help productions have a visionary experience that brings people together, ignites their imaginations, and assists in creating a world of inclusiveness with diversity of hair on stage and in film.
WHITLEY THEATRICAL (Casting).
Benton Whitley CSA and Micah Johnson-Levy. Current Broadway/ NY: How to Dance in Ohio, Hadestown (Artios Award). Previous B’way/ NY: Life of Pi, Chicago the Musical, Paradise Square, Rock of Ages, The Lightning Thief, The Great Comet of 1812, Elf, On the Town, Pippin, La Cage aux Folles, Radio City Christmas Spectacular. TV/film: Netflix, 20th Century Fox, NBC, Lionsgate, Disney Channel. West End/U.K.: Hadestown, Thriller Live, Menier Chocolate Factory. U.S. tours: Hadestown, Hairspray, Waitress, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland, Into the Woods, We Will Rock You. Regional: American Rep, Berkeley Rep, Alley, Shakespeare Theatre Co., Bay Street, For The Record, TUTS, Hollywood Bowl, McCarter, Signature. @whitleytheatrical, and whitleytheatrical.com.
CIERA MILLER (Associate Director) [she/her] is a NYC-based director. She is half of the theatrical duo Miller & Harlow. The pair were 2023 Jonathan Larson Grant Honorable Mentions. Ciera seeks out new works and campfire stories of all kinds. @millerandharlow. cieramiller.com.
YAEL ‘YAYA’ REICH (Associate Choreographer) [they/them]. An everfluid, trans-non-binary, multi-hyphenate artist, inter-dimensional dreamer and co-creative inspirator, they aim to find collaboration and creative flow in everything they do. Warrior of truth and embodiment, creator of art spanning mediums and timelines; storyteller, healer, activator, advocator, collaborator, performer, composer, producer, poet, philosophizer, etc. @yah__yah__el__.
MOLLY GOODWIN (Production Stage Manager). Welcome to the Underground! Inter/national tours: Pretty Woman, Tootsie, West Side Story (Stage Around Tokyo and U.S.); Sister Act (Asia and U.S.); The Wizard of Oz, Ghost, BLAST! and Legally Blonde. Stage and production management for Holland America Line, cruising across the globe. Her favorite credit is Celine Dion’s A New Day: Live in Las Vegas. Goodwin holds a B.A. in theater/dance from Luther College and an M.F.A. in stage management from UNLV. Love to Kith and Kin— thank you for roots and wings!
GRIFFIN SPRIGGS (Assistant Stage Manager) [he/him] is grateful to tell this beautiful story for another year. National tour debut! B.A. from UF. Regional: Come From Away (SM) at Revival Theatre Company. He also has an extensive career stage managing in youth theater, most recently at PerryMansfield Arts School and Camp in Colorado. Many thanks to Molly, his Hadestown family, the team at RCI and his mom, dad and sister for their continued love and support. IG: @griffinspriggs.
ELISE BROWN (Company Manager) [she/her] is overjoyed to return to RCI and Hadestown after serving as assistant company manager last year. Endless gratitude to Mom, Dad, Sydney, Barb, Alicia, Jeff, Abi and countless others who have supported her along the way. Proud alum of Point Park University and NYU.
MATTHEW WEST GUERBER (Assistant Company Manager) is thrilled to be making his national tour debut with Hadestown and RCI Theatricals! He hits the road having previously been a general management intern at RCI. Matthew holds a B.F.A. in theater management from Emerson College and is originally from Washington, D.C.
SIGHTLINE PRODUCTIONS (Production Management). Sightline’s current and recent projects include
Hadestown second national tour, Liberation, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Mamma Mia!, Take a Banana for The Ride, The Least Problematic Woman in the World, Archduke, Gypsy, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Joy: A New True Musical, Duke & Roya, Spamalot national tour, 44: The Obama Musical and more.
THE BOOKING GROUP (Tour Booking Agency) has represented 27 Tony Award-winning Best Musicals and Plays. Current tours include: Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, The Book of Mormon, 1776, Hadestown, Mean Girls, MJ The Musical, Pretty Woman, Six, Tina, To Kill A Mockingbird, Anastasia, Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof, Hairspray, My Fair Lady, R.E.S.P.E.C.T. and Tootsie. Future tours include: Almost Famous, Funny Girl, Mamma Mia!, Mrs. Doubtfire, A Strange Loop, The Devil Wears Prada and The Wiz.
ALLIED GLOBAL MARKETING (Tour Marketing & Press) is a full-service, integrated marketing agency working with the world’s largest entertainment, consumer and lifestyle brands, including 85+ Broadway shows over three decades. Current tours: Back to the Future, Beetlejuice, The Book of Mormon, Elf The Musical, Kinky Boots, Mamma Mia!, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Notebook, The Outsiders, Some Like It Hot, Suffs, The Twenty-Sided Tavern. Upcoming tours: The Great Gatsby, Operation Mincemeat, Riverdance.
RCI THEATRICALS (General Manager). Current and recent Broadway and touring productions include & Juliet, Hadestown, Shucked, Glengarry Glen Ross, Gypsy, Our Town, Harmony, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Heart of Rock & Roll, Jagged Little Pill, Pictures From Home, Ohio State Murders, Take Me Out, American Buffalo, The Minutes, Ain’t Too Proud, The Inheritance, Oklahoma!, Anastasia. rcitheatricals.com.
MARK LUNSFORD (Creative Producer) is a theater and live performance producer. He recently finished his tenure as the producer for the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University, where he produced dozens of shows, including the pre-Broadway engagements of Waitress; Jagged Little Pill; Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812; and Gatsby: An American Myth. He teaches courses in producing, leadership and nonprofit management at Florida State University and Harvard University. M.F.A., Florida State University.
STAFF FOR HADESTOWN
GENERAL MANAGEMENT
RCI THEATRICALS
David R. Richards
Joe Christopher Danielle Karliner Naish
Beverly Edwards Kevin Greene Steve Hohne
Justin Black Kyle Bonder
Gabrielle Johnson-Nieporant
Alexander Parra Georgina Ratnatunga
Megan Ringeling
Bradley Baumhover Isaac Evans Marissa Parrott
COMPANY MANAGER ELISE BROWN
Assistant Company Manager Matthew West Guerber
TOUR MARKETING & PRESS
ALLIED GLOBAL MARKETING
Andrew Damer
Jennifer Gallagher Scott Praefke
Jessica Cary Davis Anne Waisanen
Adina Hsu Emily Toppen
Maria Bonucchi Amenkha Sembenu Kate Wyman
TOUR BOOKING AGENCY THE BOOKING GROUP
Meredith Blair
Rich Rundle Brian Brooks
Jonathan Pearson Maryruth Grabez thebookinggroup.com
PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
SIGHTLINE PRODUCTIONS
Ryan Murphy Hannah Osborne
Livia Marcelino Christy Perez Nate Warren
CASTING
WHITLEY THEATRICAL
Benton Whitley, CSA Micah Johnson-Levy, CSA
LEGAL COUNSEL
LAZARUS & HARRIS LLP
Scott Lazarus, Esq.
Robert C. Harris, Esq.
Carter Anne McGowan, Esq. Diane Viale Patrick Wilcox
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER MOLLY GOODWIN
Assistant Stage Manager ...................... Griffin Spriggs
Associate Director Ciera Miller
Associate Choreographer Yael ‘YaYa’ Reich
Co-Dance Captains .......... Michelle E. Carter, Julia Schick
Fight Captain ........................................ Ricky Cardenas
Assistant Scenic Designer Shivanna Sooknanan
Assistant Scenic Designer Ben Hirschfield
Associate Costume Designer ................. Siena Zoë Allen
Assistant Costume Designers Brynne Oster-Bainnson, Camille Charara
Associate Lighting Designers Marcella Barbeau, Paul Jonathan Davis
Associate Sound Designer Jarrett Krauss
Assistant Sound Designer Connor Wang
Production Electrician Brandon Hawkinson
Moving Light Programmer .................... Zachary Connell
Production Properties Coordinator Emiliano Pares
Production Audio Gaven Wedemeyer
Music Contractor ...................................Keith Levenson
Production Carpenter ........................... Michael Demyan
Head Carpenter John Bone
Swing Tech Elijah Jeffers
Assistant Carpenter/Flyman ............... Shannon Bingham
Head Electrician Sophie Smyczek
Assistant Electrician Gabe Whitnack
Head Props Mak Jordan
Head Sound.............................................. Brad Sievers
Assistant Sound Coren Magnier
Head of Wardrobe Stacey Juengling
Assistant Wardrobe/Wigs Fernando Monzon
Assistant Stage Manager Cover ............. Ricky Cardenas
Physical Therapy NEURO TOUR Physical Therapy, Inc.
Cultural Competency Smith-Soeder Enterprises. LLC/ DeWanda Smith-Soeder
Banking ............................................ City National Bank
Insurance Risk Strategies/ Peter Shoemaker, Anthony Pittari
Accountant .................................Withum Smith+Brown/ Robert Fried, Karen Kowgios, Scott Bartolf, Anthony Moore, Lara Waldner, CPAs
Comptroller Steve Hohne, CPA
Payroll ........................ Vensure, Payroll Data Processing
Trucking Clark Transfer
Travel Agency Road Rebel Global/ Julia Lang, Jana Leighty, Linda Cockrell, Johanna Nagel-Kim Merchandising .The Araca Group/ Emma Kerr, Kerry Krye
Production Photographer .................... Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Scenery built, painted and electrified by Hudson Scenic Studios. Props by BrenBri Properties. Lighting and Rigging Equipment from Christie Lites. Sound Equipment from Masque Sound. Costumes executed by Tricorne Costumes, Inc.; Parsons-Meares, Ltd.; Arnold Levine, Inc.; Crystal Thompson, Giliberto Designs, Inc.; Shana Albery; Jeff Fender Studio; Scafati Tailoring, Inc.; Hochi Asiatico.
Rehearsed at Pearl and Gibney Studios
SPECIAL THANKS
Arel Studio, Liz Riches and Karakter Worldwide. And an enormous thanks to every member of the Hadestown company, past and present, artist and crew member, onstage and off, from Vermont to Broadway and beyond.
HadestownTour.com
Backstage and Front of the House Employees are represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (or I.A.T.S.E.). The Director and Choreographer are members of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union.
United Scenic Artists represents the designers and scenic painters for the American Theatre.
WHO’S WHO IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
A guide to the characters that inspired Hadestown
ORPHEUS—Son of the muse of epic poetry, engaged to marry Eurydice. With his golden voice and lyre, Orpheus charmed all living things, even rocks and stones.
EURYDICE—A dryad, or tree nymph, engaged to marry Orpheus. On the day of their wedding, she was bitten by a poisonous snake, died, and descended to the Underworld.
HADES—God of the dead, ruler of the Underworld, sometimes called “the Wealthy One.” He fell in love with, abducted, and married Persephone. Her mother, goddess of the harvest, refused to bless the earth while Persephone was below.
PERSEPHONE—Goddess of the seasons, flowers, fruit, and grain. By arrangement, she spent half the year with Hades in the Underworld, causing fall and winter above. The other half she returned to her mother, bringing spring and summer with her.
HERMES—Fleet-footed guide, messenger of the gods, and conductor of souls to the Underworld. In some tellings, it was Hermes who taught Orpheus to play the lyre.
FATES—Three goddesses who together determined the destinies of mortals, measuring their lifespans and apportioning their suffering.
CHORUS—In ancient Greek theater, the Chorus sang, spoke, and danced in unison. Often representing the voice of the citizens, the Chorus commented on the actions of characters and served as an emotional conduit for the audience.
