Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is about to put on the 2026 Triple Threat production of Hadestown: Teen Edition, by Anaïs Mitchell – a bold and unforgettable musical journey inspired by the ancient Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice. Hadestown: Teen Edition will be directed by Alli St. John, with music direction by Justin Cook, and choreography by Cleo DeOrio. More information is available at childrenstheatre.org/hadestown.
Students enrolled in the Triple Threat Summer Intensive spend the first half of their day in theatre arts training (classes in acting, movement, voice, and more) and the second half in rehearsal for the production. Past productions include Carrie, Rent, Be More Chill, Head Over Heels, Twelfth Night, and the World Premiere of The Garden. The students work with professional directors, professional designers, and other experienced theatre artists and practitioners. The focus is on process; students have the opportunity to hone their craft, dig deeper, and build their community.
About the Show
Blending folk, jazz, blues, and contemporary musical theatre, Hadestown: Teen Edition follows two intertwining stories: young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and the powerful King Hades and Persephone. As Eurydice is drawn into the underground world of Hadestown, Orpheus must risk everything to bring her home, discovering the power of hope, love, and perseverance along the way.
With a hauntingly beautiful score by Anaïs Mitchell and a Tony Award-winning Broadway legacy, Hadestown: Teen Edition offers audiences a theatrical experience that is both timeless and deeply relevant.
I had a chance to learn more in this interview with director Alli St. John.
- What makes a musical like Hadestown, based on an ancient myth, still relevant today?
The great thing about myths, legends, and folktales is that their themes are enduring. Themes of love and loss, hope and desire, greed and temptation, and the fallibility of man show up in stories old and contemporary. What Anaiis Mitchell has done with the story of Hadestown is highlight those themes in the stories of Orpheus and Eurydice, and Hades and Persephone, and layer in contemporary concerns of capitalism and climate change. There are many moments throughout the show that stab the heart with the familiarity of these circumstances, despite the setting of a Greek myth.
- What is your favorite part about working with students to put on a theater production?
I have been making theater with young people for over a decade and my answer to this question is always the time- their enthusiasm and desire to create something meaningful. The rehearsal process is entirely joyful, and I love watching them grow as theater artists and humans. I lead a room that makes space for their ideas and developing understanding, starting with script analysis before we even get up on our feet. Digging into the text allows them to understand the entire arc of the story, find the nuances, and make stronger choices once we are up and moving.
- Has there been a moment working on this musical that gave you a new perspective?
I have been directing for many years, and every show teaches me something new. There have certainly been moments in the rehearsal process where suddenly we hear or understand a part of the story in a new way that cracks it wide open and impacts the choices we are making in order to make the story clear. Walking into this project, I had one idea in my head, but now that we are deep in rehearsal, new things are bubbling to the surface that makes this an exciting challenge.
- What do you hope audiences take away from this production?
I hope audiences will identify with someone or something in this story. Even though it’s an old story, the themes remain relevant to a modern audience. Whether audiences consider their own love stories or the impacts of industrialization and marginalization and the climate crisis, there’s a lot to think about with this piece. Additionally, I hope audiences leave this production with an increased understanding of what young people are capable of. This is an incredibly challenging musical, and we are asking these students to put so much of themselves out there and try new things. The work they are doing is at a professional level and should be applauded!
CTC’s Triple Threat production of Hadestown: Teen Edition will perform on Friday, August 7, 2026 at 7pm, and Saturday August 8, 2026 at 3pm and 7pm.
All performances will take place on CTC’s Cargill Stage (2400 Third Avenue South Minneapolis MN 55404). Tickets may be purchased online at childrenstheatre.org/hadestown or by calling the ticket office at 612.874.0400. All tickets are $27.
About CTC’s Triple Threat Summer Intensive (Grades 8-12)
Theatre Arts Training’s performance opportunities are specifically designed for students who have a demonstrated commitment to their craft as performers and display a positive attitude in their work. Students work with like-minded peers and industry professionals to produce a play or musical. During this five-week intensive, students spend their mornings in studio classes advancing voice and dance skills; the afternoons are dedicated to rehearsal.
About CTC’s Education and Engagement Programs
CTC’s Education and Engagement programs deepen the theatrical experience throughout our community, reaching tens of thousands of people each year. We create opportunities for audiences of all ages to connect with the art, the artists, and each other. Grounded in ACT One, the theatre’s commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, we choose programming and partners that reflect all of the experiences and perspectives that make our community strong, with a focus on communities of color, the LGBTQIAP+ community, and the disability community spanning the full socio-economic spectrum.
Theatre Arts Training’s Scholarship Program: Made Possible by You
At Children’s Theatre Company we believe that every child should have the opportunity to experience the arts in order to learn, grow, and discover themselves. But for many families, this exploration is not financially possible. Please consider a donation to help support our Theatre Arts Training Scholarship program. Your gift will help a child live out their dream. Every dollar counts—If we all do a little, we all do a lot. Donate today at childrenstheatre.org/give
Children’s Theatre Company’s 2026-2027 Season
CTC’s 2026-2027 Season will feature Pinocchio; two world premiere musicals, Twelve Kinds of Ice and Princess Kay of the Milky Way; the return of the beloved holiday tradition Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!; the playful adaptation Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: The Musical; and the Broadway smash hit School of Rock The Musical, based on the popular film.
The 2026-2027 Season will also feature a new Discovery Series, including three exciting shows in limited engagements at CTC: Havana Hop, Mr. Messado's School of Magic for the Young and Young at Heart, and Joseph Kekuku and the Voice of the Steel Guitar.
Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is the nation’s largest and most acclaimed theatre for young people and serves a multigenerational audience. It creates theatre experiences that educate, challenge, and inspire more than 200,000 people annually. CTC is the only theatre focused on young audiences to win the Special Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and is the only theatre in Minnesota to receive three Tony nominations (for its production of A Year With Frog and Toad). CTC is committed to creating world-class productions at the highest level and to developing new works, more than 200 to date, dramatically changing the canon of work for young audiences.
CTC is the most significant provider of theatre education opportunities in the region. Every year, thousands of children experience theatre for the first time at CTC. Our student matinees and education programs demonstrably benefit the community, from the intergenerational conversations sparked by our world premieres, to the sequential skill-building that happens in our Theatre Arts Training, to the pre-K focus of our Early Childhood Initiative. ACT One is CTC’s comprehensive platform for access, diversity, and inclusion in our audiences, programs, staff, and board that strives to ensure the theatre is a home for all people, all families, reflective of our community. childrenstheatre.org
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