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Students and directors praise Wakefield High's Hadestown production at School Committee meeting
Summary
Cast and crew from Wakefield High School's production of Hadestown visited the May 13 School Committee meeting to describe the production process, student-led set and costume design and to receive praise from the superintendent and committee members; the production involved 26 cast members and 30 crew.
Students and directors involved in Wakefield High School's production of Hadestown addressed the Wakefield School Committee on May 13 to describe the rehearsal process, student roles in design and to accept the committee's thanks for a widely praised production.
The presentation included several student speakers who described their roles and responsibilities. "I am the co-president of the theater department here, and I played Persephone in our production of Hadestown. It was a lot of fun," said Lizzie, co-president of the theater department. Vice-president Jalak, who played Orpheus, said the rehearsal schedule — which began in January — gave the cast needed time to master the piece and allowed student-run design: the set was designed by Audrey and costumes by Eli Leon.
Superintendent Kara told the students the production was among the best she had seen in her experience: "I think one of the very best one of the very best student productions that I've ever seen." Committee members and several audience members echoed that praise and asked a few follow-up questions about cast size and the rehearsal schedule. Committee members confirmed the production involved 26 cast members and 30 on crew, numbers described by the students as the largest participation since the COVID period.
Students and directors emphasized that the show gave hands-on opportunities: students built the set, designed and sewed costumes, learned new instruments (one student said she learned accordion and another learned guitar for the role) and developed vocal blending and choreography. "We were one of the first in the country to put the show on because the rights became available this year," Lizzie said, describing the honor the company felt in mounting a challenging, newly available title.
Committee members and attendees repeatedly praised the production's choreography, music and visual design, noting that the set and costumes were student-created. The superintendent and several committee members encouraged students to carry their theater experience into college and careers in the arts. The group left the meeting to applause and committee thanks.
