Hadestown

Principals (5f, 3m) + Ensemble

ORPHEUS – Lyre-playing poet, gifted and naïve
EURYDICE – A runaway, tough and vulnerable
HADES – Compulsive industrialist, boss-king of Hadestown
PERSEPHONE – Queen of nature and the seasons, a lush
HERMES – Charismatic guide and storyteller, mentor to Orpheus
FATES – Three sisters, vicious and delicious, voices in the head
WORKERS – Spirits of labor and community, a physical and choral presence

In the Broadway production, the WORKERS were performed by an ensemble of five performers.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

BAND – The onstage BAND, while not listed with the characters above, is an omnipresence in Hadestown, and may join in the singing at times. For licensees using performance tracks, we've provided suggested workarounds for "Road To Hell" and Our Lady Of The Underground" (two numbers in which the BAND is directly introduced).

WORKERS – In the Broadway production, the WORKERS were performed by five ensemble members. Performer tracking for those five roles has been retained as follows: WORKER 1: Mezzo-Soprano; WORKER 2: Alto; WORKER 3: Tenor; WORKER 4: Baritenor; WORKER 5: Baritone.
While the vocal arrangements were designed for an ensemble of five performers, licensees are welcome to envision these WORKER roles with a larger ensemble and add to the existing minimum cast framework to suit their cast.

HERMES – The character of HERMES has been played on Broadway by both male- and female-identifying performers. In the latter case, whenever HERMES is referred to as “Mister Hermes,” performers should use “Missus Hermes.” There is no alternate vocal score, but every HERMES should feel free to place lines or verses in a different octave if it feels or sounds better.

Along those lines, we are still discovering ways in which the casting of Hadestown can become more diverse, and your production will be part of that discovery! These mythic characters are archetypal but also reimagined and open to interpretation by actors of all gender identities. It has felt important to us both to reflect the diversity of the community in which the story is presented and to be mindful of the narrative implications of those choices. For any questions regarding casting, please contact your Concord Theatricals Licensing Representative.