Live From Mount Olympus is back for a second season

The Onassis Foundation and TRAX from PRX are pleased to announce a new season of Live from Mount Olympus, created in partnership with the Brooklyn-based theater company the TEAM and premiering April 19. Combining the artistry of some of the foremost contemporary theater-makers with the timeless stories of Greek myth and the imaginative power of audio, Live from Mount Olympus is an adventure for tweens and families of all ages.

This season, dramatizing the myth of Persephone, Tony winner Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown; Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812) and Keenan Tyler Oliphant (Associate Director of Hadestown and director of PlayCo’s upcoming U.S. premiere of Ebru Nihan Celkan’s Will You Come with Me?) co-direct a cast including Joanne Hernandez as Persephone, Tony winner André De Shields (Hadestown, the Wiz) as Hermes, with performers from the TEAM and alumnae of Epic Theatre Ensemble programs. Celebrated actors Anna Kendrick and Isabella Rossellini make cameo appearances, as Eos and Iris, respectively.

Live from Mount Olympus Season 2 begins as Persephone longs for the chance to do more than paint the flowers that bloom spontaneously in a kaleidoscope of colors as she trails behind her mother, Demeter, the goddess who makes everything grow. When Persephone breaks free to join her friends Artemis and Athena for a picnic, she is suddenly stolen away to the underworld, full of powerful gods and misunderstood monsters, by Hades, who, unbeknownst to her, has been been given her hand in marriage by her father, Zeus. On her own for the first time, Persephone struggles to find her way in the world below. In her grief, Demeter tears apart the world above to bring her daughter back to the sunlight, and nothing grows. And when nothing grows, humans starve. Will the gods resolve their conflicts so humanity can survive?

Once upon a time, myths helped us understand how the world works and how we find our own place within it. They still do.

Karen Brooks Hopkins says, “I am so grateful to our remarkable Live from Mount Olympus creators and artists as well as the Onassis Foundation for bringing these incredible stories to our large family audience. The tale of Persephone is electrifying and features a young woman entering adulthood and being cast into the scary universe of the underworld and simultaneously into marriage with Hades. Live from Mount Olympus finds the optimism and humor in the story, as Persephone grapples with her own choices and what it means to be a grown up.”

Julie Burstein says, “Once upon a time, myths helped us understand how the world works and how we find our own place within it. They still do. It is thrilling to work with such a talented team to explore facets of this ancient story that resonate today. The medium of audio is ideal for creating the strangeness and beauty of this mythic world and activating the imaginations of our listeners.”

Keenan Tyler Oliphant explains, “It's been such a pleasure getting to dig into Persephone this season and to see the real magnitude that these ancient stories hold. I was struck particularly by the personal connection I formed with Persephone, as her journey so mirrored my experience as an immigrant. The way she has to navigate the emotional experience of living in two worlds is such a potent expression of the liminality of immigration. How do you hold both the joy and the pain of being away from home or your homeland? Witnessing Joanne grapple with that reality through her performance was really beautiful. I was also continually struck by the depths of the mother-daughter relationship and the way it evolved over the reason. I think it's really quite illuminating and exciting to see the ways stories that we know can continue to give us new perspectives based on the way we look at them."

Rachel Chavkin says, “The process of making Live from Mount Olympus is one of the most exuberant creative experiences I’ve ever had, and I love this season. Nathan has done an extraordinary job telling the coming of age story of a bold young woman who is bringing color and her own voice to the world—both above ground and below. Joanne as Persephone is emotional and hilarious. The whole cast is bringing JOY.”

“Live from Mount Olympus” is presented by TRAX from PRX.

Our actors include Kayla Bennett, Eric Berryman, Vinie Burrows, Jaaliyah Casey, Divine Garland, Mari Harris, Joanne Hernandez, Adrienne Hopkins, Caroline Hopkins, Natalie Hopkins, Modesto “Flako” Jimenez, Anna Kendrick, Libby King, Ian Lassiter, Zhailon Levingston, Christian Liberus, Kimberly Marable, Jake Margolin, James Harrison Monaco, Isabella Rossellini, Kristen Sieh, Nidra Sous la Terre, Eierene Tuakora, and Ching Valdes-Aran.

André De Shields is Hermes.