THEMES AND LESSONS

There are many curricular avenues in HADESTOWN. Please feel free to do as deep a dive as you’d like as you explore these topics. Educators will find lesson plans which can be applied as needed to existing curriculum.

HADESTOWN is a musical that explores many different topics and themes. Our goal with the HADESTOWN Education Initiative is to offer educators and individuals an opportunity to dive deep into these topics either in the classroom or individually. 

We’ve identified a few key themes and topics that might be of interest and broken them up into modules, which you’ll find below. We hope these modules will help you or your learners dig more deeply into the show through the many lenses in which it engages with the world. 

WHAT IS A MODULE?

A more interactive version of the traditional study guide, these modules are designed to be a launchpad for your own exploration of HADESTOWN; in other words, an engagement tool, made up of curated research, media and links for continued exploration. 

EACH LESSON INCLUDES A LESSON PLAN!

They consist of guided activities for individuals or groups of learners to bring their own creativity and ideas to each topic. Ideally, students and learners will have seen HADESTOWN prior to engaging with the modules and accompanying lesson plans; however, these resources are also designed to be very accessible for people who haven’t seen the show! We’ve included alternate options that rely on the soundtrack, media clips, interviews, and descriptions of the production. 

The modules and lessons are intended for 7th-12th grade. You’ll find specific age ranges delineated on each lesson plan. Please feel free to mix and match the modules/lessons according to the interests of your classroom. We also encourage you to adjust the lesson plans to best suit your timeline, your learners, and your classroom. 

Lastly, we recommend reading through the modules before engaging with its accompanying lesson plan for grounding purposes.

CLICK ON IMAGES BELOW TO EXPLORE THEMES AND LESSONS