Eleanor Carroll starred in Theatre Aspen’s 2025 production of “Anastasia.” She will play the role of Eurydice in “Hadestown,” which runs Thursday through Sunday at the Aspen District Theater.
In the summer of 2024, Anaïs Mitchell came to Aspen to perform with her indie-rock band Bonny Light Horseman at Paepcke Auditorium.
Mitchell is not just a guitarist and vocalist in a rock band. She also writes musicals on the side. Her first attempt at the genre was a musical she wrote in her bedroom in Vermont called “Hadestown,” which reimagines the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, following Orpheus’ journey to the underworld to save his love from the industrial realm of Hadestown. The play concurrently tells the story of Hades and Persephone.
The musical was first performed at a local community theater company in Vermont in 2006, turned into a concept album in 2010, moved onto regional theatre companies in 2012, then went to off-Broadway in 2016, before being tapped for a run on Broadway in 2019.
Hadestown went on to win eight Tony Awards, including best score and best musical. Mitchell’s 13-year journey from her bedroom to Broadway is one of the greatest and most unlikely stories in the history of the Great White Way.
The show has been performed over 1,000 times at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway (the longest run ever at that theater). In April 2024, Mitchell created “Hadestown: Teen Edition” for performers 19 and under.
This weekend, the Aspen High School, in partnership with Theatre Aspen Education, will perform “Hadestown.” The curtain will go up at the Aspen District Theater on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., with a matinee performance on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The play stars Ozley Choquette as Orpheus, Josie Brands as Persephone, Jacob Owsley as Hades and Eleanor Carroll as Eurydice.
Undeniable talent, unmatchable work ethic
This weekend marks Carroll’s last performance in an Aspen High School production, after more than a decade immersed in the Roaring Fork Valley’s theater community. She acted in her first high school musical when she was in fifth grade and has performed in six different high school productions, along with many parts in Theatre Aspen musicals.
“Eleanor is a staple of the Theatre Aspen EDU community,” said Alicia Millerson, Theatre Aspen co-director of education. “We have just loved having her in our space. It’s bittersweet to see her go. Eurydice is an iconically difficult role. Eleanor has risen to the challenge and met this character with emotional complexity. She has taken the reins of this production, leading the cast with professionalism, talent and heart.”
Eleanor Carroll and Khalil Khan-Farooqi performed in the 2025 Aspen High School production of “Newsies.” This weekend’s production of “Hadestown” at the Aspen District Theater will be Carroll’s last performance as a student of the school.
Those qualities, matched with an undeniable natural charisma and a singing voice that leaves one longing to hear just one more note every time she finishes a solo, led former Theatre Aspen marketing director Toni Case to say after seeing Carroll in the 2024 production of “Anastasia,” “Eleanor Carroll is a star.”
Former Director of Education at Theatre Aspen Vanessa Strahan said that while many actors bring natural talent to the stage, Carroll has the work ethic and commitment that distinguish her from most high school actors and have elevated her performances to the highest level.
“One of Eleanor’s best qualities as a performer is her willingness to put in the time it takes to push her own limits,” Strahan said. “More than any artist’s natural abilities, the dedication it takes to break down and refine every detail onstage is what creates a fantastic performance. Eleanor puts her whole heart onstage, but for all the ways I’ve seen her grow as an artist, her dedication to making every performance the best one she’s capable of giving is the most valuable.”
A decade on stage
One of Carroll’s earliest memories is of seeing “Annie” on Broadway when she was 4 years old.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve just been in love with performing and watching people perform and just being on stage,” Carroll said in an interview with the Aspen Daily News.
The first production Carroll ever did was “Bye Bye Birdie” with Theatre Aspen when she was 7 years old. “Since then, I’ve taken every opportunity to perform,” she said.
Along the way to Eurydice, Carroll has played a wide range of roles, from Little Red Riding Hood in “Into the Woods” to Crutchie in “Newsies.” One of the highlights for her came last fall when she landed the title role in Theatre Aspen’s youth production of “Anastasia.”
“That was the first time I really carried a show from beginning to end,” Carroll said. “It was a big step in my performing career. Words can’t really describe how special that experience was for me.”
Eleanor Carroll began her acting career in the Roaring Fork Valley when she was 7 years old in ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’ She would later perform in Aspen High School’s 2025 version of the play.
Another high-water mark for Carroll came when she was cast as Louisa in the Aspen Music Festival and School’s production of “The Sound of Music” last summer alongside Broadway actress Christy Altomare, who originated the role of Anya in “Anastasia” on Broadway in 2017.
“Working with Christy and seeing what it was like to be in a professional theatrical production and then playing Anya, the role that she originated was incredible,” She said. “That experience really captures how great the theater scene is in this valley and how lucky I feel to have grown up in it. Theater Aspen has such a strong education program, and then there’s companies like SOL Theatre in Carbondale. No matter where you are in the valley, there are so many chances to perform.”
Carroll said she plans to continue to keep performing after graduating from Aspen High School. She’s already been accepted to 10 colleges, mostly in Colorado and California, and is still waiting to hear from a few more. Wherever she ends up, she expects theater and music will remain a part of her life, whether through campus productions or possibly joining an a cappella group.
“I love singing, dancing, just being on stage and performing for other people and making other people happy, and acting is one of the ways that I am able to do that,” Carroll said. “I get such an adrenaline rush every time I do a show, the lights are on, people in the audience are clapping, it fulfills me in such a meaningful way.”
Carroll is 17 years old, but she has over a decade of experience working in theater in the Roaring Fork Valley. As she prepares for her final weekend of performances, she’s reflecting on all that time in the community.
“Looking back on my years doing theater here, I am so grateful for the theater community in this valley,” Carroll said. “It’s such a loving group of people. Reflecting on all the directors I’ve had, the castmates I’ve had, the performances I’ve done, it’s such a very dedicated group of people and they have allreally helped me grow as a person.
“I’m just so grateful for all these opportunities I’ve had, getting to share all the magic and love with everyone. I’m walking away feeling very proud and sentimental and just hopeful for the future of the theater community, not only in Aspen, but just for what everyone else around me is going to bring to the world.”
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.aspendailynews.com ’
