Hadestown: El musical, el mito, la leyenda. ¡Hagamos un estudio profundo!

What will be taught?  What topics will we cover?
We will explore the musical Hadestown and the mythology behind it.  We will compare the myth to the play.  We will discuss the plot, character development, and how the creators use music to show this.  We'll interpret the meaning and artistic choices of the show's creators and dive into some art criticism by determining how effective those choices were and justifying that opinion.  Greek myths were used to teach a lesson.  What lesson ultimately is this new take on an old myth supposed to teach us?

How is the class structured?  How will it be taught?
At the beginning of each class, I like to check with learners to see if they have any additional thoughts or anything to add regarding what we went over the previous week.  Because there are 40 songs on the cast recording, we will look at approximately five songs in each class.  We will then look at the new material and discuss the songs for the week and learners will be encouraged to give their thoughts and opinions on the artistic choices made and compare what they hear to what they know about the myth.  We will use Kahoot! activities to springboard our discussion of the play and the myth.  We will wrap up the class by reviewing what we learned, getting learner opinions on what we discussed, and preview what we will do in the next class.  In between classes, I will provide learners with supplemental material to enhance their understanding, but is not required to participate.

Week 1:
We will introduce Greek mythology, specifically the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, and discuss what learners already know about the story.  We will discuss the characters that are introduced and how that is done musically.  We will discuss the plot as it relates to the first five songs and how it relates to the development of the characters.

Week 2:
We will continue to follow the plot and character development.  We will compare the relationship of Orpheus and Eurydice with that of Hades and Persephone.  We will follow the plot development and look at songs 6-10.

Week 3:
We will analyze and interpret what happens in songs 11-15.  What changes are the characters going through?  How are their choices affecting the plot of the story?  How is the music conveying this?

Week 4:
This will finish out Act 1.  We will look at songs 16-19.  Why did the creators choose to end the first act where they did?  Do you see any modern comparisons with what is happening?  

Week 5:  
We will start Act 2 with songs 20-25.  What changes have the characters gone through since the start?  Has anything unexpected happened?  Did any character act in a way that seemed odd for them?

Week 6:
We will look at songs 26-30.  What is the conflict that is being set up?  Is there any way for this conflict to end on a positive note for anyone?  If so, how?

Week 7:
We will look at songs 31-35.  What choices did the various characters make?  How have their relationships changed?  Would you have made the same choices?

Week 8:
We will finish with songs 36-40.  How does the play end?  Is it different than the myth?  Were you expecting it?  What lesson do you think we were to take away from it?  Does it feel like the story has come full circle?  How effective do you think that the creators were at conveying this lesson?

What is my teaching style?  How will learners get to interact?
I teach through discussion and open-ended questions.  We will also use Kahoot! to quickly poll opinions and share ideas in a fun way.  I encourage learners to share their thoughts on what we're learning and discuss them with each other.  I also encourage learners to make use of the classroom board to share ideas that come to mind in between classes so we can address them.  Learners will interact with me and each other through classroom discussion and Kahoot! interactive games and polls.

Any required experience or knowledge learners need?
Learners will want to be familiar with the music of Hadestown.  Some background knowledge of Greek mythology is helpful, but not required.
As a note, I am happy to teach to single learners and I do not cancel due to low enrollment.