FATE’S WARNING
Bloomfield Hills actress revels in goddess role of ‘Hadestown’
Anyone familiar with the hit musical “Hadestown” knows you don’t mess with the Fates.
The Greek goddesses of destiny, a trio (also known as Moirai) that serves as kind of Supremes of the Underworld, are sassy enough to talk smack with Hades, even though he ostensibly runs the place. Part conscience, part provocateur, the Fates provide the reality check for the myth.
And Shea Renne loves that.
The Bloomfield Hills native and University of Michigan alumnus is one of the Fates in the first national touring company of “Hadestown,” an adaptation of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice by singersongwriter Anais Mitchell. It won eight Tony Awards
in 2019, including Best Musical, and while there are a lot of meaty parts in the cast, Renne considers hers to be some very good fortune indeed.
“I don’t think I ever had to play a goddess before. It’s fun having this incredible power and control — not just over humans but also the gods in the show as well,” Renne, 30, says by phone from the “Hadestown” tour stop in Boston. “We’re the rulers of
destiny, so it’s really fun to play every night, dictating the destinies of all these people.
“And being with the other two Fates, Bex (Odorisio) and Belen (Moyano), it’s been great to watch our friendship grow and how that helps our characters on stage. That’s been a lot of fun.”
Renne’s rise — or, perhaps, descent — into “Hadestown” has been more about hard work than fate,
however.
Though not from a theatrical family — her father is an architect, her mother an educator — her talents were recognized early on, after a music teacher at Birmingham’s Pierce Elementary School recommended Renne take voice lessons. That led her into both school and community theater productions, including at Stagecrafters in Royal Oak and the Village Players in Birmingham, as well as summer camp programs at the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan.
“The community really appealed to me, and just the appreciation that people had for you when you’re onstage and being vulnerable.” says Renne, who graduated from Birmingham Seaholm High School — where her stepfather would occasionally also perform in the school musicals. “I realized pretty early that I was not afraid in front of a large audience. It felt great, even at a young age, that sense of power to compel audiences. That gave me a lot of confidence … and made me very excited.”
Renne had “no doubt” that she wanted to head straight to New York City — where she resides with her boyfriend, also an actor — upon graduating from Michigan. Lining up “an amazing agent,” she began working the regional theater circuit, appearing in productions in Seattle, Wichita, Kan., Ithaca, N.Y. and elsewhere, as well as in the city.
“I love working out of state,” Renne says. “Doing shows in other areas really opens your eyes to how different areas of the world lives, different social climates and everything. And of course you meet different people wherever you go. It really helps to broaden your perspective, and I think that makes you better on stage.”
Renne had been up for roles “Hadestown” multiple times, auditioning for the creative team shortly before the pandemic. As the production began to hatch plans to return to action earlier this year she received a callback to submit a self-made tape, followed by a Zoom, for which Rene learned all three of the Fates’ parts.
“Rachel (Chavkin), our director, asked me to sing the lowest alto part, and I was ready,” Renne remembers. “That’s how I got it, I think, just being prepared.”
Renne is signed on to “Hadestown” for a full year, winding up late next summer. It’s too early to make decisions about what’s next, but this Fate is certainly contemplating what the fates might have in store for her.
“I was thinking about this the other day, actually,” she says. “I would like to play the role of Nessarose in ‘Wicked’ one day. That’s kind of left field, but it seems really fun to me. I love how sinister her character turns. That’s not the only one, but it’s definitely one in my mind.”