Scotch College's Hadestown rises to the challenge at Thebarton Theatre

Review by Markus Hamence – HADESTOWN: Teen Edition. Performance date: Saturday 08 August 2026. Thebarton Theatre, Torrensville, South Australia.

There are school musicals, and then there are productions that make you forget for a couple of hours that you are watching students. Scotch College Adelaide’s Hadestown: Teen Edition sits firmly and very proudly in the latter. Taking over Adelaide’s recently renovated Thebarton Theatre with a live band, revolving stage, industrial design and more than 65 students involved across the production, this is ambitious theatre-making on a seriously incredible scale.

Produced by Nicola Trigllau and Directed and Choreographed by Stephanie Thompson with Assistant Director Melissa Sheldon and Assistant Choreographer Carla Cheney. The impressive scale of this production, is well, IMPRESSIVE. Adding to the talents is Martin Cheney as Musical Director and Krtistin Stefanoff as Vocal Supervisor. So sit back and read through my take on this world-class standard production...

Anaïs Mitchell’s Hadestown is no easy beast to tame. It intertwines the ancient Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice with Hades and Persephone, wrapping them in folk, blues, jazz and musical theatre while exploring love, power, sacrifice, fear and that wonderfully human compulsion to keep hoping even when we know how the story ends. Scotch doesn’t play safe with it. The production goes big, dark and beautifully atmospheric, creating an underground world that feels suitably gritty while allowing the humanity of the story to remain its beating heart.

Cast Two brings its own personality to the material, led by Seb Cox as Orpheus and Clementine Launay as Eurydice. Cox gives Orpheus the vulnerability the role needs; this is a dreamer who believes a song might genuinely change the world, and that innocence is essential if the tragedy is going to land. His Orpheus feels open-hearted rather than heroic, which makes the character’s journey all the more affecting.

Launay makes a terrific counterpoint as Eurydice. There is strength beneath her vulnerability and a grounded quality to the performance that works beautifully against Orpheus’ idealism. The relationship between them needs us to believe in possibility before the darkness arrives, and the pair find that emotional connection without pushing it too hard. When the story turns, there is genuine weight behind it.

“Scotch College’s Cast Two doesn’t simply go way down to Hadestown – they own the road getting there. Bold, beautifully staged and bursting with young talent.” Markus Hamence

Jess Laycock takes on the crucial role of Hermes for Cast Two, serving as our guide through this strange, smoky world. Hermes is storyteller, ringmaster and emotional compass, and Laycock brings confidence and personality to the role, commanding the stage while allowing the story and fellow performers room to breathe. There is a natural theatricality here that helps stitch the production together.

Then there is Tom Weatherall (with a phenomenally deep voice) as Hades, bringing authority and darkness to the underworld. Hades cannot simply be played as the villain; there needs to be power, insecurity, control and a glimpse of the man beneath the machinery. Weatherall understands that balance, creating an imposing presence while finding moments where the cracks begin to appear.

Above Image Credit: Warren King

Kaylin Hausleitner’s Persephone is another standout, bringing welcome fire, charisma and colour into a world deliberately stripped of warmth. The complicated relationship between Persephone and Hades gives Hadestown one of its most interesting emotional layers, and Hausleitner embraces both the larger theatrical moments and the quieter sadness beneath them.

Florence Du, Olivia Adcock and Chloe Vounasis make a deliciously effective trio as the Fates. They are constantly present as doubt, temptation and those dangerous little voices inside the mind that convince us to question what we know. Their collective presence adds tension and texture throughout the production.

But one of the biggest strengths of this Hadestown is that it never feels like five leads surrounded by background performers. The dance troupe and ensemble are integral to the world being created. They become the workers, the machinery, the pulse and movement of Hadestown itself. The choreography gives the stage a restless energy, and the sheer commitment across the company is impressive. When this cast moves together, the production finds real power.

Visually, Scotch College has gone for it. The large revolving stage is not simply there as a flashy piece of theatrical engineering; it helps create movement, momentum and that sense that these characters are trapped within a world that simply keeps turning. Combined with the contemporary industrial aesthetic, lighting and staging, Thebarton Theatre becomes an excellent home for the production. The venue’s scale allows Hadestown to breathe while also making the students rise to the challenge of filling a major Adelaide stage.

And praise must go to the live musicians. Hadestown lives and dies through its music. This score needs grit, swagger, melancholy and rhythm rather than simply polished musical-theatre prettiness. Having the live band driving proceedings gives the show its heartbeat and adds another layer of professionalism to an already ambitious undertaking.

“Scotch College Adelaide’s Hadestown Cast Two is young theatre at its most fearless - electric, emotionally charged and proof that the future of Adelaide’s stage is already stepping into the spotlight.” Markus Hamence

What impresses most, however, isn’t the revolving stage or the scale of the production. It is the confidence Scotch College has placed in its young performers. This is challenging material emotionally, vocally and theatrically, yet there is no sense of the production being watered down or apologising for being a school show. Instead, these students are asked to step up to the work – and they do.

Cast Two of Hadestown: Teen Edition proves that young performers don’t need to be treated like junior versions of professional artists. Give them great material, strong creative direction, a proper stage and the expectation that they will rise to it, and something rather special can happen.

Scotch College Adelaide has built a road to Hadestown at Thebarton Theatre that is bold, beautifully staged and packed with emerging talent. More importantly, behind all the machinery, mythology and spectacle, this production remembers what Hadestown is really about: hope.

We know the song. We know how it ends.

And somehow, we still want them to sing it again.

MARKUS' WRAP-UP:This is school theatre thinking much bigger than the school hall. Hadestown: Teen Edition is an ambitious, confident and emotionally charged achievement from Scotch College Adelaide – and Cast Two gives us plenty of reasons to be excited about the next generation stepping onto Adelaide’s stages.

REVIEW EXTRA: I took along a dear actor/singer friend, Ewerton Silva, who equally impressed with the performance...

The choreography throughout the show was exceptional. Coordinating such a large number of young performers on stage is no small feat, yet every number felt polished, precise and wonderfully energetic. The lighting design was stunning and added so much atmosphere to the production, while the orchestra was tight and complemented the performers beautifully. A special mention to Elliott Purdie, Olivia Naish, Bella Buley and Chloe Vounasis for their exceptional work on stage.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Above: Ewerton Silva and Markus Hamence