Theatre Studies Excursion: Hadestown

Way down, HADESTOWN! 

On July 2nd, a group of Mac.Rob theatre students participated in an excursion to watch Hadestown at Her Majesty’s theatre in the CBD. The acclaimed musical, based on the ancient myths of Orpheus and Eurydice, as well as Hades and Persephone, showed us what was possible within the performing arts. 

The group ranged from VCE and IB theatre students, to actors and crew involved in our very own Pirates of Penzance musical, to members of the Mac.Rob orchestra, and everyone took something different away from the experience. The performance was a triumph, with particular highlights being the staging, Persephone’s characterisation, and the trombone solo. As the crowd rose to their feet at the conclusion of the afternoon, many Mac.Rob students were deeply moved by the story that had been told. 

Following the performance, we had the unique chance to participate in a question and answer session with a director and several performers. They offered their insight into the creation of Hadestown, their personal performance stories, as well as their pre-show rituals and methods for managing nerves. Isabel (Y11) got the chance to ask about vocal protection and pacing in professional theatre, which was incredibly valuable as a keen performer herself. As Mac.Rob burst out of the theatre onto Exhibition Street, we were filled with excitement about what we had just witnessed, and what music and theatre held for us in the future. 

A massive thank you goes to Mr Wegner, who not only organised the entire excursion, but also swung us excellent seats! A big shout out also goes to the other supervising staff, who gave up their afternoon to give us this experience. Thanks to everyone for their continued dedication to theatre at MacRob, and for organising amazing opportunities such as this.

Overall, the Hadestown excursion was a massive success!

Hannah J (12C)