Behind the Curtain

The story of Hadestown took more than one person to tell. Hadestown took a whole cast, crew, pit, and numerous hours. When people watch the musicals here at Kenmore West, little do they know the amount of work put into the final product. This year's musical was Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell, and it was unlike any other show we’ve ever done at Kenmore West. This article will take you behind the scenes of Hadestown and show you what it was like putting the show together.

The auditioning process for the musical includes hours of preparation and work. There are two auditions involved in the process, which is a main difference between the Kenmore West plays and the musicals. For the musical, you have to prepare a section to sing from the show, which is given by the directors, as well as learning and performing a dance provided by the choreographer. When you are called to audition, there will usually be a group of 4-5 that you go on stage with. If you audition for a play, it is in front of all the auditionees. For the musical, you only audition for the directors. If you seem like a perfect fit for one of the parts, they will have you do another audition. These are callbacks. Callbacks are posted after the last day of auditions for people the judges would like to see perform again for a certain role. There are mostly 4-5 people called back for a role and sometimes even more for the featured dancers. 

One of the first things we did was read! We got to know the script, and in Hadestown's case we got some backstory on the gods and leads in the show. The most important part of the first few rehearsals for the ensemble is character work. We make stories for our characters, like how they came to sell themselves to Hades and what their life was like before going to Hadestown. After the first couple of days, we started dance practices, singing rehearsals, blocking, and set planning. For the first month, rehearsals usually last around 3 hours and sometimes 4-5 hours. 

Our choreographer for Hadestown was Alexandra Montesano, otherwise known as Monty. Monty is a positive teacher who put a lot of thought and time into our moves and made sure everyone was in time.

Singing rehearsals were taught by Mrs. Leary, which usually included 2-3 hours of song work. Almost each song we sang was split into four parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Each singer had to learn their own notes, listen, and keep their part steady against others, while practicing at home. Practicing at home is definitely important when you're in a musical, especially for the leads. Hannah Graham, who was a lead as Persephone tells us, “The show didn't even feel like work to me, because it was just so lively, and normally with shows, the real work is getting off book.” G, the musical’s director, made a lot of the magic happen on stage. She was very important to the designing process and costumes. G helps every actor find the intention behind their character, which helps us bring the show to life. 

A big part of the show was definitely set building, which took hours of staying after by the cast and crew. Students, with the help of volunteers, learned how to use drills and hammer in nails for the final set. The Saturday before we opened was the most important rehearsal for the show. This is when everything comes together. Costumes are tried on, hair and makeup is done, lights are used for the first time, and fully knowing your part from the beginning to end is crucial. Tech Saturday is mainly for the Tech Crew but is still very important for the cast. During Tech Saturday this year, we were at the school from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., rehearsing scenes over and over so the Lighting Crew could make adjustments. From an interview with the Stage Manager, Ella Roberts, she said, "The Crew spends a lot of time after school, mostly 7-11 for Hadestown, and the Crew is especially busy during show weeks.” For Hadestown this year, we had the most amount of lighting cues, the final number being around 1,130. Chrissy G, our lighting director for the musicals, said this was the most he had ever done for a show.

It's showtime! The performance has finally come. After starting auditions in November to now finally having the first performance in February is so crazy for the cast to think about. Usually, the first performance is the most nerve-racking for the cast, which is why one of the most important things is getting in character. As Andrew, who played Hades explained how important it was “taking that time by yourself to take deep breaths and realizing, oh, I'm not Andrew, I'm playing Hades right now. I would do that before I stepped out on stage.” 

This year was different because we were performing in front of our high school for a preview! This definitely brought nerves and excitement to the cast, but in the end, we were all proud of what we’d accomplished. Another quote states Hannah's feelings on the Ken West Preview, “A lot of recognition when it comes to hard work outside of school goes to athletes because it's more well known that they have practice many days a week, along with having their games.” This is one of the reasons it was important to show the school how much work those in the theatre put into their productions as well!

Hadestown was such a beautiful show, and it had an important message for today’s world. Hadestown not only told a story but gave the cast and crew a chance to make fun memories and bonds. As Andrew Digesare said, “I feel like if you're doing something you love with the people you love, it makes it ten times more special.”