Evergreen Spotlight: Young Actors Participating in Hadestown Performance
Three Greenhill juniors have been cast in Junior Players' "Hadestown, Teen Edition." The following story was featured in the December issue of The Evergreen.
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By: Lylah Pouratian Rehearsals began Nov. 4 and occur Monday-Wednesday every week from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Junior Players is an arts education 501(c)(3) nonprofit which produces a high school winter musical each year. "Hadestown: Teen Edition" profits support arts programming for North Texas youth. (Tickets are available here.) Each student participating in the Junior Players musical also performed in the Greenhill production of "Disney's Descendants: The Musical." Tarpeh said the transition between both musicals went smoothly. "They're willing to accommodate you and meet you where you are, which I really love about Junior Players," Tarpeh said. The plot of "Hadestown" intertwines the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with the story of Hades and Persephone. As she struggles with poverty, Eurydice is lured into working for Hades’s dark underworld. Orpheus, a poor musician, sets out on a mission to save her. Tarpeh says the plot critiques those in power exploiting the working class. "It's almost like a direct replica of the world we are in today, with corruption of power, which I think is really fitting for the times we're in," Tarpeh said. For the audition, actors had to prepare a song, a monologue, headshots and a resume. "The people who participate in their productions want to be professionals in this field," Lugo said. "The audition process is very similar to one of a professional setting." Schnitzer says both talent and flexibility played a component in the audition process. "I can't lie, I think overall I did pretty good in my audition," Schnitzer said. "About a week later, I got called back and was very excited. One of the reasons that I was cast was because the community that I brought, which is very important." Schnitzer was cast as Hades. "He’s very feared," Schnitzer said, "But he also has this softer side to him." Schnitzer says he mainly credits his low singing voice for why he was given his part. "I already have a deep voice every day," Schnitzer said. "So just seeing how people react to that kind of helped me get into the mindset of Hades." Both Tarpeh and Lugo earned ensemble roles. "I get to do a lot of dancing, and we're the voices behind each of the scenes, kind of like the spirit and the essence of the show," Tarpeh said. Lugo says she has learned that she is more comfortable in ensemble roles through her experience performing with Junior Players. "The biggest thing I’ve learned about myself as a performer is that I can’t be afraid," Lugo said, "If I’m afraid I can’t fully express emotion through my character." |
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