Welcome to Playbill's new initiative, PLAYBILLDER: Video Spotlights, highlighting shows and events from educational institutions around the country (who have used Playbill's program-building service). By welcoming these PLAYBILLDERs center stage, we hope to give our readers and viewers a more in-depth look at theatre programs that are fostering the love of the performing arts in the next generation.
Guide: How To Build Your Own Custom Program with PLAYBILLDER
Today, we're featuring Wellesley Theatre Project, in Wellesley, Massachusetts. This children's theatre provides performing arts education and performance opportunities for elementary school students to high school seniors. This past April, WTP produced Hadestown: Teen Edition, licensed by Concord Theatricals. This full-length Teen Edition of Anaïs Mitchell’s haunting, jazz-inflected folk opera, which follows Orpheus’ mythical quest to bring his wife Eurydice back from the Underworld, ruled by Hades and his wife Persephone.
Not only was Playbill invited into the final rehearsals and opening night of the show at WTP, custom PLAYBILLDER programs were developed, designed, and given to all audience members that attended.
To go inside WTP’s production of Hadestown: Teen Edition and hear from students and staff about their experience “way down under" (and why they think Hadestown is the best musical ever), watch our video above.
Hadestown: Teen Edition features adjusted vocal arrangements to better suit teenage voices (including modified features for the Fates and transposed keys), worker chorus vocals that have been converted to be a flexible and expandable SATB ensemble, the removal of stage action and language related to substance abuse and sexual references, suggested dialogue and music adjustments for productions using performance tracks, and approval to optionally cut "Our Lady of the Underground," "Nothing Changes," and "We Raise Our Cups" for productions using accompaniment tracks and/or shorter run times.
Playbill would like to thank Hillary Drew and Ben Rush from Wellesley Theatre Project, and Courtney Kochuba, Ella Andrew, and Billie Davis from Concord Theatricals for their support in our first-ever PLAYBILLDER Video Spotlights.
Hadestown was originally produced on Broadway by Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold and Tom Kirdahy. Original New York production developed with and directed by Rachel Chavkin.
Arrangements and orchestrations by Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose [If an alternate orchestration is used]. Original Arrangements and orchestrations by Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose. Hadestown was co-conceived by Ben T. Matchstick. "Papers Instrumental" by Michael Chorney, published by Seoats Music (ASCAP). Vocal Arrangements by Liam Robinson. Additional vocal arrangements by Justin Vernon and the Haden Triplets.
To design Broadway-quality programs for your next show, head to PLAYBILLDER.com—you might just be featured in our next PLAYBILLDER Spotlight!
If you would like to apply for a production license for Hadestown: Teen Edition, visit Concord Theatricals Website.
