Rudy Foster and the Hadestown North American Touring Company, 2026. Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

Thank you for attending the Broadway tour of Hadestown. We’ve prepared this post-show discussion guide to deepen your engagement. Use it with your friends, family, or other patrons to discuss the elements of the show. If you are looking for pre-show questions or educational materials, please visit the Hadestown online education center. Enjoy!

The Production

1. What was your overall reaction to Hadestown?  Did you find the production compelling? Stimulating? Intriguing? Challenging?Memorable?  Confusing? Evocative? Unique? Delightful? Meaningful?
2. Did experiencing the musical in performance heighten your awareness, understanding of, or connection to its story and themes?  What themes or ideas were made even more apparent and/or significant in production/performance?
3. Did Anaïs Mitchell’s lyrics and music effectively help to tell the story of the musical and of its individual characters? Did any single song stand out to you in particular? Which song was it and why did you find it outstanding?

The Characters

1. What character did you find most interesting or engaging? Why were you especially intrigued or attracted to this particular character?
2. Did any characters develop or undergo a transformation during the course of the production? Who? How? Why?
3. In what ways did the characters reveal the themes of the musical?

The Style & Design

• Did the overall production style and design reflect the central themes of the story of Hadestown?
• Did the style and design elements of the production, unified under the directorial vision of Rachel Chavkin, enhance the performance? Did anything specifically stand out to you?
• What did you notice about Rachel Hauck’s scenic design?  Did it provide an evocative setting/location for Hadestown?  How and why, or why not?
• What mood or atmosphere did Bradley King’s lighting design and Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz’s sound design establish or achieve?
• What did you notice about the costumes designed by Michael Krass and worn by the actors? What do you think were the artistic and practical decisions that went into the conception of the costumes?
• How did choreographer David Neuman’s dance direction serve to illuminate the characters and themes of the story and style of the musical?

These questions were selected from the Hadestown education guide and website.

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