Story by Max Pagnucco/photos courtesy of Hadestown
A
t the TONY ® Awards on June 9th this year,
Hadestown soared, claiming the top prize in 8
categories out of its 14 nominations–the most
of any show this season. During the many acceptance
speeches, audiences couldn’t help but notice one consis-
tent kudo: thanking Vermont. Never before has Vermont
been mentioned so many times at The TONY® Awards,
nor at any awards ceremony, for that matter.
Its inception came about as a conversation between
two Vermonters, Anaïs Mitchell and Ben T. Matchstick.
Mitchell, who would go on to write music and lyrics for
the musical, shared her idea for a folk opera based on
the Orpheus myth. Since both she and Matchstick were
large fans of mythology, the duo quickly connected and
began to work together; Matchstick assumed the role of
director/designer for the production in its infancy,
and both he and Mitchell watched their creation grow
exponentially in the following years.
The play itself is a re-exploration of the ancient Greek
myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, in which Orpheus must
venture into the underworld to save his deceased fiancée,
Eurydice. In true Greek tragedy form, this underworld
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known as “Hadestown” returns little reward for his ef-
forts, and ultimately proves to be Orpheus’s undoing.
After writing and further developing their concept for
years in Vermont, Mitchell and Matchstick took their
chance and applied for a grant through the Vermont
Arts Endowment Fund at the Vermont Community
Foundation. They were granted $2,000 toward the de-
velopment of the original album, which was released in
2010, as well as the continuation of writing the play itself.
Along with other support received early-on, including
that from Higher Ground and the Vermont Arts Council,
this set the course for Hadestown’s road to Broadway.
First showings of the musical took place in Vermont, both
at Mitchell’s home where she developed it, and also at the
Old Labor Hall in Barre. It was also staged for various
benefit shows, including one at the Long Trail School in
Dorset in 2011. All the while, Mitchell was in search of a
director and found the perfect match in Rachel Chavkin.
A former TONY® Award nominee for her direction of
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Chavkin
would go on to win her first TONY® for Hadestown (Best
Direction of a Musical).