The South Eugene Theater season opens this October with Hadestown, an award-winning musical based on Greek mythology. The musical, written by Anaïs Mitchell, debuted professionally on Broadway in 2019 and has since run more than 2,000 times at the Walter Kerr Theater in New York City. The story is a modern retelling of two ancient Greek myths and is set in a desolate, depression-era world. Notable songs include “Wait for Me” and “Way Down Hadestown.” Auditions for the musical at South were held Sept. 15-17, and casting was released that week. Leading the cast is Cal Yossef as Orpheus, Lavender Thomas as Eurydice, Cam Caldera as Hades, Eleanor Turner as Persephone, and Charis Iheanyi-Igwe as Hermes. More information about casting is available on the South Eugene Theater Instagram (@southeugenetheater).

Following the production of Hadestown is Noises Off in December. Noises Off, Michael Frayn’s play-inside-a-play comedy, follows a theater group as they perform the fictional play, “Nothing On.” Austin Wilson, the South Eugene troupe director, said the decision to add Noises Off was due to its similarities with The Play That Goes Wrong, a comedy inspired by Noises Off.

“The Play That Goes Wrong has been really popular lately [among high school programs],” Wilson said, “so I wanted to do the original.”

In the spring, the South Eugene Theater season concludes with a production of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. Last year, during the 2025-26 season, the theater group performed an “Oregon Country Fair version” of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

“I love Shakespeare and wanted to do one that would garner a lot of attention,” Wilson said. “I know that Romeo and Juliet is one that a lot of people know and like.”

However, recent budget cuts have reduced the number of South Eugene Theater productions from five shows to three. The reduction does not include productions run by John Monteverde in the Little Theater or student-directed shows. In addition to a smaller theater budget, the District has also cut the stagecraft class, a popular elective for students interested in set design, and the class that actually builds sets for South theater productions.

According to Wilson, stage and prop design now relies exclusively on “essentially 100 percent volunteer time.” Without a dedicated stage design class, “we don’t have a class to build the sets, which means it ends up being a part of the process of the show,” he said. The impact of these cuts and their effect on production quality remains to be seen.

To offset cuts, Wilson is putting more of an emphasis on volunteering.

“Each time we do a show, we have ushers,” he explained. “You can sign up to be an usher and see the show for free. You just hand out flyers while we are getting ready. Make sure to talk to Monte [John Monteverde] or whoever is directing the show.”

If you are interested, another way to show support is through Drama Club, which is held every Thursday in the Auditorium during lunch.

Article By Grace Phillips