Arts and Entertainment

Tony and Grammy Award-winning ‘Hadestown’ to debut at Penn State March 2–3

“Hadestown” was the most honored show of the 2018–19 Broadway season. Penn State musical theater graduate Ryaan Farhadi, seated left, is part of the touring production’s cast. Credit: Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade. All Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — “Hadestown,” the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards — including Best New Musical — and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, will make its Penn State debut at 7:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, March 2 and 3, in Eisenhower Auditorium.

The cast features Ryaan Farhadi, a 2023 graduate of the musical theater program in the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s School of Theatre.

“Hadestown” was the most honored show of the 2018–19 Broadway season. In addition to the show’s eight Tony Awards, it was honored with four Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards (including Outstanding New Broadway Musical) and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical.

Call 814-863-0255, or visit “Hadestown” online for more information about accessibility options and to purchase tickets.

Ticketholders also are invited to a free, open-bar reception in the conference room hosted by Penn Highlands Healthcare: Penn Highlands State College from 6–7:30 p.m. both nights.

Following two intertwining love stories — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — “Hadestown” invites audiences on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back that reflects the world around us all.

“The reason for its commercial success is the way it reflects so much of the dynamics in the world around us through the lens of a Greek myth that most students are already somewhat familiar with,” Farhadi said in a Center for the Performing Arts interview. “Whether you are involved in politics, technological and scientific advancement, the arts, or any number of jobs that involve learning a skill or trade, you will find that the story pulls in themes from all of those industries and how they intersect.”

Originating on the road

The production originated as singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell’s indie-theater project that toured Vermont, which she then turned into an acclaimed album. With her artistic collaborator and director Rachel Chavkin, “Hadestown” has been transformed into a genre-defying new musical that blends modern American folk music with New Orleans-inspired jazz to reimagine a sweeping ancient tale.

“Hadestown” was the most honored show of the 2018–19 Broadway season. In addition to the show’s eight Tony Awards, it was honored with four Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards (including Outstanding New Broadway Musical) and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical.

Accessibility accommodations

American Sign Language interpretation will be offered for the March 3 performance. Contact the Arts Ticket Center via email or by phone at 814-863-2727, ext. 3, by Tuesday, Feb. 17, to discuss ASL seating preferences.

Audio description will be offered for the March 3 performance. Reservations are required and must be made by Tuesday, Feb. 17. Call the Sight Loss Support Group of Central Pennsylvania at 814-238-0132 to reserve the service.

Acknowledgments

The show is sponsored by Penn Highlands Healthcare: Penn Highlands State College. ASL (American Sign Language) support is provided by Shih-In Ma. Accessibility services are supported by Sidney and Helen S. Friedman Endowment. A grant from the University Park Fee Board makes Penn State student prices possible.

Find us

The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State, a unit of the College of Arts and Architecture, aspires to create connected, sustainable, and equitable communities, where everyone experiences joy, belonging and creativity. For more information about the season, visit the Center for the Performing Arts online, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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