Ben Matchstick, left, holding flower, and Anais Mitchell, with microphone, co-creators of the award-winning Hadestown musical, delighted cast and audience by attending the January 31 performance of Hadestown (Teen Edition) at U-32 High School in East Montpelier, VT.
“You all slayed!” Mitchell told the high school cast seated around her onstage after the show. To her left: cast members Russell Clar, Evelyn Rocha and Aliza Azarian.
The theater programs of U-32 and Montpelier high schools staged the musical, one of the first teen versions approved for production, over the past week and a half at U-32. There were three months of auditions, rehearsals, set building, and costuming; 48 actors and about 35 behind-the-scenes tech people; and seven shows, all but one sold out.
For Mitchell and Matchstick, it was a full-circle moment. “Hadestown” originated in Montpelier and the Langdon Street Cafe in the mid-2000s. It began to spread its wings in workshops at Montpelier High School and performances in Barre before taking off on the long journey that would take it to London’s West End, Broadway, and elsewhere, winning eight Tonys and a Grammy along the way. Click here for a gallery.
during the 2025 performance of Hadestown (Teen Edition) by students from Montpelier and U32 high schools.
during the 2025 performance of Hadestown (Teen Edition) by students from Montpelier and U32 high schools.
