The Milton Academy Performing Arts department opens the year with “an excellent variety of [shows]” in its fall season, Performing Arts Department Chair Eleza Kort announced.
This season kicks off with a realism drama 1212 play, A Doll’s House. The Class IV Follies From Here to Somewhere, follows, which explores the themes of journeys and destinations. The season closes with the musical Hadestown, which recounts the Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice, offering a different flavor from the lighthearted musicals typical at Milton.
The first play, A Doll’s House, opens on October 16th and recounts the story of a late 19th century housewife. The play stars a total of five cast members and “is shocking, exhilarating, and thought-provoking,” according to Assistant Director Vivienne Mockenhaupt ‘27. Thrown in a complex family situation, Nora, the protagonist, tries “her best to care for her loved ones while dealing with standards for women of the time.” Cast Member Davey Glazer ‘28, also describes the play and its significance; “the story,” he explains, “is powerful and timeless.” Written in the 1870s, the play takes on questions of freedom, identity, and relationships, themes that still permeate society today.
The next show on the stage, From Here to Somewhere would provide a slightly different experience for audiences. The show stars the 13 newest members of the Performing Arts department, and, through music, choreography, and performance, weaves together books, plays, and movies that reflect this year’s theme. Some stories to look forward to include the renowned Disney Pixar movie Up and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic The Little Prince.
The most remarkable element of this year’s storytelling is that “each character has a moment to realize that it is not about the destination, but in fact about the journey there,” remarks Director Scott Caron. He also highlights the “camaraderie in the cast,” a spirit that Cast Member Jaydon Sun ‘29 also appreciates. “I believe the most important skill that I learned was collaboration, [the cast] depend [on each other] to tell the story; we also looked towards each other when following directions together in real life.”
After the Class IV Follies, Hadestown closes the fall performing arts season. This musical ditches catchy tunes and upbeat choreography like stereotypical musicals and instead, adopts the form of a rock operetta—continuous storytelling through rock songs—but infused with Gospel rather than rock. Because of its narrative nature, Hadestown features a lot of movement to capture the "silhouette of the characters” both physically and emotionally, notes Assistant Director Rue Tanzi ‘26. These movements, according to Cast Member Liz Harris ‘28, will attract most of the student body—“they're very cool and the audience will definitely like them.” Moreover, Kort, the director, sees Hadestown as a story with urgent relevance: “It's a dark world right now and [Hadestown] might be sad, but there is still hope in the story – namely, love, and how people can change.”
The fall season marks new Technical Director Willam Bryum’s first season at Milton. “That's really exciting, because Mr. Byrum’s whole focus is on tech, so we get to see the continuity along the set building [through the seasons],” says Kort. The fall season also presents a variety of unprecedented set designs: lopsided bridges, huge extension platforms, and, in Hadestown, spinning staircases—with Kort's words, “it's gonna be visually, really stunning.”
The fall season has a variety of productions and something for everyone; Caron said “Everyone just needs to come out a bit more because [this season is] nothing like they’ve seen before.”