Persephone

Have you heard the story of the little old town?

Inspired by the classic Greek myth, Persephone is a heartwarming new musical featuring an original folk-rock score.

The rural town of Olympus has fallen into a steady rhythm under the fixed control of Zeus. Immortality grows rife, power is corrupt and nothing is a secret for long. Yet for the young Persephone, who lives hidden away in the fields, the little old town is nothing but a story. With the arrival of a mysterious stranger, Persephone is set on a journey that’ll entwine her with the little old town forever. For this is a world of folklore, but also a world of immortality, and when you live forever there is one thing everyone craves but no one can keep for long: youth.

Described by critics as a “a superb production” (North West End UK ★★★★) and “the best of classical versus modern storytelling” (Breaking the Fourth Wall ★★★★), this new folk-rock musical by Emma Hawkins and Carrie Penn premiered to great commercial and critical success at the Oxford Playhouse in November 2021, and it is now touring in England in summer (August 4-21).

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Listen to the Soundtrack:

Trailers

Reviews

Ox in a Box

“Heart-breaking, heartfelt and witty, Persephone is one to watch”

“The writers have introduced such current issues, such as rape and miscarriage, into this mature and eloquent arena, which are then only enhanced by the brilliant cast.”

Daily Info

“A slick, substantial and thrilling show”

"Musicals can sometimes be guilty of trivialising a good story. The Greek myths have already suffered like this, popularised by Walt Disney and simplified for textbooks. Persephone absolutely does not."

The Poor Print

“From love to tragedy, empowerment, and anger, the emotions shine through the words. There were several times when I was struck by the lyricism of the musical pieces. It is easy to forget that the script is student-written.”

“Persephone is a great student musical, and some of the team deserve professional-level praise.”

North West End UK

“A superb production”

Cherwell

"It is evident that Persephone was created with love and dedication to the art of musical theatre and the misrepresented character of Persephone herself."

"Eat a pomegranate seed and enter the Underworld — Persephone is a new musical which was well worth experiencing."

Breaking the Fourth Wall

“Not all musicals ‘immediately’ grab the audience from the get-go, but Persephone puts its higher profile peers to shame with its readily memorable songs and the best of modern versus classical storytelling.”

Polka Dot Pages

“While the first act feels familiar and relatable, the second act plummets the audience head-first into a wild journey, brimming with corruption, betrayal, love and loss, and exploring the question: ‘how does society steal not only innocence, but autonomy?’"

Mumble Theatre

“It is hard not to think of this play as being perfect”

The Oxford Blue

“Exceeded all expectations”

CAST

Persephone - Bethan Draycott
Hades - Peter Todd
Zeus - Lorcan Cudlip-Cook
Hera - Maggie Moriarty
Demeter - Maddie Hall
Aphrodite - Abi Watkinson
Hermes & Hades/Narrator Understudy - Franco Lopez
Narrator & Zeus/Hermes Understudy - Jak Spencer
Narrator & Aphrodite Understudy - Eleanor Dunlop
Narrator & Demeter Understudy - Emma Starbuck
Narrator & Persephone/Hera Understudy - Phoebe Tealby-Watson

BAND

Keys 1 - Jake Sternberg
Keys 2 - Caitlin Frank
Viola - Charlie Potts
Violin - Benedict Bradley
Cello - Kevin Zheng
Electric/Acoustic Guitar - Hannah Kieve
Bass - Luke Smith
Drums - Sam Thyr

PRODUCTION TEAM & CREW

Director/Writer/Set Designer - Emma Hawkins
Producer - Ana Pagu
Musical Director/Composer - Carrie Penn
Assistant Musical Director - Beth Fitzpatrick
Choreographer - Max Penrose
Associate Producer - Nathaniel Jones
Assistant Producers - Tof Adigun-Hameed & Daisy Gosal
Associate Director - Felix Westcott
Assistant Directors - Ollie Khurshid & Nina Jurkovic
Assistant Choreographers - Vanessa Silva & Tiggy Jones

Production Manager - Finley Bettsworth
Lighting Designer - Sam Morley
Sound Designer - Nick Heymann
Set Constructor - Sneha Bansal
Costume Designer - Gaia Clark Nevola
Make Up Artists - Izzy Dernedde & Krisha Hirani
Lighting Assistants - Matthew Colpus, Andy Deng, Penelope Hilder Jarvis,

Joan Kanyago, Michelle Ng, Luke Thornhill, Will Wikoff, Nicola Wright
Set Assistants - Sasha Harden, Eleanor Housden, Isabelle Kori, Alice Penrose,

Issy Proctor, Chuanqi Wang, Olivia Wheeler
Sound Assistants - Loic Deraed & Paula McGechan
Costume Assistants - Rhea Douglas, Clara Holcroft, Hannah Nightingale, Cecily Lasnet
Production Assistants - Roopali Sourirajan & Stazi Towers

Stage Manager - Mina Moniri
DSMs - Harvey Dovell & Violet Mermelstein
ASMs - Grace Chalhoub, Nathan Corbyn, Ernest Law, Rose Morley, Savinay Sood

Flyers - Peyton Beeli, Adya Manoj

Co - Marketing Managers - Jill Cushen & Charlotte Baxendale
Events Manager - Emma Heritage
Social Media Officers - Lily Varley, Eleanor Dunlop, Jak Spencer
Video Marketing Manager - Emi Sinclair