Hadestown: Teen Edition returns to Coal City one night only on Friday

Join the Coal City Theatre Department this Friday for a finale performance of Hadestown: Teen Edition.

The performance begins at 7 p.m. Friday at the Coal City Performing Arts Center, 655 W. Division St.

The story follows young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice and the immortal King Hades and Persephone, taking audiences on a journey of love and compassion.

Director Jack Micetich it’s an opportunity the department had to embrace while they had it, because the regular version of the show is still on Broadway and the teen edition was just released. It’s not necessarily a premiere, but the Coal City Theatre Department and a high school in California will be the first two to show it this upcoming weekend.

“The nice thing about this show is since it’s a teen edition, we opened it up to actors 19-and-under,” Micetich said. “So we’ve opened it up to any Coal City students 19-and-under, so even graduates who are still 19 with a birthday after the day of the show could perform.”

This means seniors from last year’s graduating class get one last chance to take the stage in their hometown with the group of up-and-coming performers in the freshman and sophomore classes that Micetich said makes up 60% of the program.

Micetich said the kids have had four weeks to prepare, both the performers and the stage design and lighting crew. The show had to come together quickly.

“It’s a different process in that way,” Micetich said. “We actually just did a master class with some different directors from Chicago and they mentioned that it’s nice the kids are getting this experience, because in the professional world, it’s normal to rehearse three-to-four weeks.”

Micetich said the show has provided a learning experience for the younger kids who get to see how leads Derek Carlson, Elaina Patten, Stephen Byers and Adaline Dowling handle the pressure and get a sense of how they need to handle it.

Micetich said the show is musically driven, with all dialogue coming in the form of song. The play is set in New Orleans with jazz-style music.

Tickets are available at showtix4u.com/events/CCTheatreDept, and at the door one hour before each performance.