Penn State graduate Ryaan Farhadi returns with cast of ‘Hadestown’ March 2–3

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026) — “Hadestown,” the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards—including Best New Musical—and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, will make its Penn State debut at 7:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, March 2 and 3, in Eisenhower Auditorium.

The cast features Ryaan Farhadi, a 2023 graduate of the musical theater program in the Penn State College of Arts & Architecture’s School of Theatre.

Tickets start at $74 for an adult; $48 for a University Park student; and $57 for a person 18 and younger. Purchase your tickets online. Avoid the $4 fee by purchasing over the phone at 814-863-0255 or in person, weekdays 10 a.m.–4 p.m., at Eisenhower Auditorium.

Ticketholders also are invited to a free, open-bar reception in the conference room hosted by Penn Highlands Healthcare: Penn Highlands State College from 6–7:30 p.m. both nights.

Following two intertwining love stories — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — “Hadestown” invites audiences on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back that reflects the world around us all.

“The reason for its commercial success is the way it reflects so much of the dynamics in the world around us through the lens of a Greek myth that most students are already somewhat familiar with,” Farhadi said in a Center for the Performing Arts interview. “Whether you are involved in politics, technological and scientific advancement, the arts, or any number of jobs that involve learning a skill or trade, you will find that the story pulls in themes from all of those industries and how they intersect.”

Watch a preview of the performance.

Visit “Hadestown” online for more information about accessibility options and reception details.

Originating on the road

The production originated as singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell’s indie-theater project that toured Vermont, which she then turned into an acclaimed album. With her artistic collaborator and director Rachel Chavkin, “Hadestown” has been transformed into a genre-defying new musical that blends modern American folk music with New Orleans-inspired jazz to reimagine a sweeping ancient tale.

“Hadestown” was the most honored show of the 2018–19 Broadway season. In addition to the show’s eight Tony Awards, it was honored with four Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards (including Outstanding New Broadway Musical) and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical.

Accessibility accommodations

American Sign Language interpretation will be offered for the March 3 performance. Contact the Arts Ticket Center via email or by phone at 814-863-2727 to discuss ASL seating preferences.

Audio description will be offered for the March 3 performance. Call the Sight Loss Support Group of Central Pennsylvania at 814-238-0132 to reserve the service.

For fans of

Celebrated singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell

Tony and Grammy Award-winning Broadway musicals

Unforgettable love stories

Greek mythology

Modern allegories

American folk and New Orleans jazz

Acknowledgments

Sponsor is Penn Highlands Healthcare: Penn Highlands State College.

ASL support is provided by Shih-In Ma.

Accessibility services are supported by Sidney and Helen S. Friedman Endowment.

A grant from the University Park Fee Board makes Penn State student prices possible.

Find us

The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State, a unit of the College of Arts and Architecture, aspires to create connected, sustainable, and equitable communities, where everyone experiences joy, belonging and creativity.

For more information about the season, visit the Center for the Performing Arts online, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.