JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
It's not unusual for high schools to put on musical productions. But to get an extended run, packed shows and an invitation to perform on their city's biggest stage - well, that is exactly what happened earlier this year to one Anchorage high school's production of "Hadestown." Though, as Alaska Public Media's Hannah Flor reports, the future of the theater program is uncertain.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
AZRA BRAND: (As Hermes, singing) Way down, Hadestown. Way down under the ground.
HANNAH FLOR, BYLINE: "Hadestown" is a hit musical that retells the Greek myth of Eurydice and Orpheus. The story follows the doomed lovers down into an underworld controlled by the god of the dead, Hades.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
AZRA: (As Hermes, singing) Everybody's trying to get a ticket to go, but those who go, they don't come back.
FLOR: And from the first night it was performed by these students at West High School back in February, the show's director knew that this version was special.
BRIAN LYKE: As the curtain raised at the end of the show, the audience leapt to their feet. Standing ovation on an opening night is kind of rare, but we got that.
FLOR: Brian Lyke teaches English and theater at West High and directed the play. He says the energy of this group just jumped off the stage, and the audience responded.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters) Whoo (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED AUDIENCE: Whoo.
FLOR: The first performance drew about 150 people, but a couple days later, that number had more than doubled. The production got an extended run, and at the final school performance a couple weeks later, more than 1,200 people filled the high school auditorium.
LYKE: We had so many instances of people showing up Thursday night, coming back Friday night, coming to the Saturday matinee.
FLOR: Azra Brand plays Hermes, the narrator. She says, as an actor, the energy of the crowds has been amazing.
AZRA: It was really fun as, like, our community to be, like, yeah, we are appreciated, and we're so big in Anchorage. I still, like, pinch myself every once in a while.
FLOR: Eurydice is played by Adella Judge. She says, by the end, the production was so seamless she and her castmates felt like professionals.
ADELLA JUDGE: It was, like, this surreal experience. Like, I felt like I was on an actual Broadway stage. I felt truly like I had made it.
FLOR: Codie Costello was at one of those early performances. She's the president of Anchorage's Performing Arts Center, where real Broadway shows perform when they're in town. She was floored by the performance.
CODIE COSTELLO: There's a certain type of quiet that will happen with an audience because they're so engaged. They're, like, on the edge of their seats. They're totally connected.
FLOR: She invited the show to the Performing Arts Center. Actor Adella Judge says it's not a stage anyone expected to be on.
ADELLA: Feeling like we're so respected in the community just makes me feel like we've really done something amazing. Like, we're unstoppable.
FLOR: But then, at the end of March, bad news - the Anchorage School District notified hundreds of teachers that they would lose their positions due to a massive budget deficit. Lyke was among them. He'll be transferred to another school. And because he's the only theater teacher at West High, that means an end to the current theater program. Adella Judge says the students are crushed.
ADELLA: I can't even imagine what it'd be like without having the arts and having theater be such a supportive, like, stake in the ground for me, like, keeping my tent from falling over.
FLOR: School districts around the state have been urging lawmakers to increase the amount of money schools get. Last week, West High students started making those calls, too. But if that doesn't happen, Judge says maybe they can create a home for theater kids with an after-school club. They'll take the stage at the Anchorage Performing Arts Center on Saturday.
For NPR News, I'm Hannah Flor in Anchorage.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
AZRA: (As Hermes, singing) Ain't no difference anymore. Way down Hadestown. Way down under the ground. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.