WSU grad says ‘Hadestown’ has timely message
Show’s co-producer won his first Tony award for the musical.
Wright State musical theater graduate Joey Monda is excited that “Hadestown” has made its way to Dayton.
The show’s co-producer won his first Tony award for this show, and says although “Hadestown” premiered in Vermont in 2006, “it always feels like it was written for our specific moment.”
Monda believes the themes of “Hadestown” increase in relevancy with each passing day.
“It tells the universal story of ‘art versus economics,’ of the need for human relationships and the importance of fighting for what you believe in,” he said.
His Wright State University education, Monda believes, provided the foundation for his understanding of theater as a collaborative art form and also provided an environment that fostered his variety of theatrical interests.
“I was able to understand and appreciate not just what was going on onstage but all of the jobs that it took to put on a production,” he said, adding that an important part of the producer’s role is bringing together a variety of others — from directors and writers to advertisers and publicists.
Monda, who has also won Tonys for “The Inheritance” and “A Strange Loop,” said he’s always on the lookout for shows that have a message for the times.
At the moment, he is serving as a lead producer for “Days of Wine and Roses” and a co-producer for “The Notebook.”
But “Hadestown,” which earned eight awards on Tony night in 2019, will always hold a special place in his heart.
“It was my first time at the Tonys,” Monda said. “It was a thrilling night with one thrill after another.”