Pioneer High School Students Bring Broadway Favorite to Life this Fall
Ann Arbor, MI - Pioneer Theatre Guild will present Hadestown: Teen Edition November 12–15, 2026, at Schreiber Auditorium at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor.
For senior ensemble cast member, Simon Schroeder, there is one line in Pioneer Theatre Guild’s fall production of Hadestown: Teen Edition that everyone in the community needs to hear.
“When Orpheus raises his cup to give a toast he says, ‘To the world we dream about and the
one we live in now,” Schroeder says. “I think that’s something a lot of people these days can
relate to.”
Hadestown, a musical retelling of Greek myths through the lens of New Orleans jazz, blues, and folk, follows the idealistic Orpheus as he journeys to the underworld to rescue his love, Eurydice. With extreme temperatures above ground mirroring our current world’s battle with climate change, Orpheus’ optimism is a welcome break from the pessimism of his time.
Christian Weems, who plays Orpheus, connects with his character’s determination to see the
good in humanity.
“Orpheus sees there is bad in the world but he also shows that love is a powerful thing,” Weems
says.
“...if you trust yourself and trust the people around you, you can find a way out.” - Christian Weems (Orpheus)
Beyond its timely themes, Hadestown won over Broadway audiences with its rare balance of
emotional depth and infectious energy. Bouncing between lively dance numbers, haunting work
songs, and romantic ballads, the show tackles weighty themes of love, loss and the struggle for
a better world, while also making space for humor, romance, and jubilation.
“This show has been really exciting for me because it’s my first show with Pioneer Theatre
Guild, and already, the community is so welcoming,” freshman Evie Roehrig says. “I’ve made
friends with so many upperclassmen, and it’s only been a few weeks. I feel like this is my
family.”
Senior costumes co-crewhead, Rachel Mickey, says she remembers the feeling of being new and finding her footing. “When I was a freshman, it was really scary because I live in Ann Arbor and I’d seen PTG shows and I’d always admired the costumes,” Mickey says, “but I quickly realized we do hard work but it’s all done with teamwork. And now when I hear people in Ann Arbor say like, ‘oh, the costumes were great,’ it's just such a good feeling because we spent months on them.”
Sophomore ensemble member, Eleanor Coffman, says she hopes all the hard work helps the deeper messages of the show resonate with the audience.
“Hadestown is a little Dystopian,” Coffman says, describing the authoritarian portrayal of Hades,
the god of the underworld (played by senior Ryan Lorenz) who controls his world of the dead by
making its inhabitants perpetually build a wall.
“Older people might think, ‘that’s not my problem if I’m not going to be there for whatever comes
in the future,’ but this story shows how there are negative consequences for everyone, including
Hades, who has everything but might lose Persephone (played by senior Madeleine Wolfe), his
one true love.”
For all its weighty themes, Hadestown ultimately offers an uplifting reminder of the power of
hope, love, storytelling and the importance of re-telling.
“In the opening song, ‘Road to Hell,’ we all sing, ‘it’s an old song–an old tale from way back
when,” says sophomore ensemble member Zoe Bierdz. “That’s what I love about the Greek
myths. We get to bring these stories back to life and find out new meanings for people today.”
The production runs November 12 - 15. For additional information and to purchase tickets visit www.cur8.com/projects/ptg
