For Another Broadway at the DECC Smash Production
COME SEE HOW THE WORLD COULD BE at Broadway at the DECC on March 16. Tickets at destinationduluth.co/decc-hadestown
Welcome to HADESTOWN, where a song can change your fate. Winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album, is a love story for today… and always.
HADESTOWN intertwines two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — as it invites you on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers, and singers, HADESTOWN is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.
(From the DECC website)
Going out on a national tour of a hit Broadway show is every aspiring actor’s fervent dream. That dream came true for Jonice Bernard, who appears as a Worker (ensemble member) and an understudy for the three Fates in the current national tour of the award-winning musical Hadestown.
Hailing originally from Iowa City, Iowa, Bernard moved at a young age with their family to Coon Rapids, Minnesota. Jonice recalls seeing their first musical at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater with the production of Footloose. “I had stage fright as a kid, but I remember thinking that being onstage looked really fun,” they said.
While Jonice was in choir throughout school, it wasn’t until they got to college at Arizona State that they found that musical theater was their passion. Jonice performed in shows there and at Arizona Regional Theatre, including Little Shop of Horrors, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and understudied Nettie and Celie in The Color Purple at The Phoenix Theatre Company.
After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Musical Theatre, Bernard moved to NYC and then took a job with Disney Cruise Line. They later decided to take another Disney job at Disney Hong Kong and loved that experience. “Hong Kong is a beautiful place, and I loved playing Disney roles like Ariel in The Little Mermaid,” they said.
When Bernard returned to NYC, after auditioning for three years, they were cast in the Hadestown tour. “I love being a worker in the ensemble. We are onstage for most of the show.”
Besides playing in the ensemble, Jonice has also gone on as an understudy playing one of the three Fates. Jonice’s favorite song in the show is “If It’s True,” a song that they said resonates with some of what is happening in the U.S. today.
Jonice noted that touring is challenging and physically taxing, doing eight and sometimes nine shows a week. “You do build up stamina and get stronger as you learn to take good care of yourself on a tour,” they said.
While the dream of doing a national tour is coming true for Jonice, they have paid their dues and are now loving making theater magic with fellow cast members all over the U.S.
More Information on Hadestown
DECC Auditorium
March 16, 2026
Tickets at destinationduluth.co/decc-hadestown
