Bringing The God Of The Dead To Life On Stage

It took Leif Kious a long time to be comfortable in Hell…well, Hades to be accurate.
Kious, a junior at Highland, played Hades in Highland’s production of Hadestown, but in order to commit to the role perfectly, he had to go through his own personal hell: learning to sing.
After he began acting in 6th grade and played Oberon in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Kious’s first musical was during his sophomore year when he starred as the giant in Highland’s production of Big Fish and then played the antagonist, Black Stache, in the spring play, Peter and the Starcatcher.
Kious has been taking acting classes with Sarah Ragey since his freshman year. He started in Ragey’s Theatre Foundations 1 and Intermediate, then moved up to Play Productions, and eventually IB Drama.
For Kious, acting lets him explore new characters and personalities that can be shared with the audience, giving him creative freedom.
“I really love the ability to let yourself go and sort of just put it all out there on the stage. No fear of judgement and all that,” Kious said.
Although acting is a generally lovable activity for Kious, he’s not the biggest fan of learning and working with music. It’s a skill he hasn’t worked with much but is enjoying the “unique challenges” that come with it.
To improve this ability, Kious has been working hard and taking voice lessons with Eleanor Scoville, a 2023 Highland graduate who now attends Westminster College, which has helped him grow into a great vocalist.
All this practice has helped Kious tremendously when it comes to starring in a musical and singing in front of an audience.
“Simply put, it was both a thrill and a challenge. But truly, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect role when introducing myself to the world of musical theatre,” Kious said.
Along with theatre, Kious is part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, the debate team, and student government. While he’s expressed passion for all his activities, they’ve given him a busy schedule, which always starts with a cup of earl gray tea and an optimistic attitude.
So many actors resonate with their characters and find similarities and differences between them both. For Kious, it was no different.
While Hades is the “villain,” Kious has found similarities in the level of dedication they both have for their passions.
“His [Hades] dedication to Hadestown, it’s design, construction, and maintenance, is a dedication that I hope to share in my pursuits such as with theatre and International Baccalaureate,” Kious said.
There were also some differences between Kious and Hades which made it a challenge to learn how to master the character.
Because Hades is an old man, there was a level of consistency and precision in his movements that “conveys maturity and power.” While Kious’ previous roles were more comedic than dramatic, he got to rely on intensity and energy instead of precision.Working with new techniques and movements was crucial for Kious to fully immerse himself in his character and be the best Hades he could be.
After being on the stage for so long, not only has Kious gained confidence and incredible skill, but it has also helped him in other ways like making connections with those who have the same interests.
“It’s given me a lot of great community. I met a lot of my current friends through theatre, and it provided me with a lot of experience as well,” Kious said. “[It’s] just an all-round very heartfelt experience.”
Kious’s family has all been very supportive of him and his passion for acting. His mom, Jen Kious, loves helping Ragey with painting the sets, selling concessions, and helping with costumes. His parents and sister love hearing about rehearsals and listening to him “sing around the house as he practices.”
Since his freshman year, Kious has made significant progress in his acting abilities with the help of Ragey. They have been working on making the acting more natural and believable and “coming from a place of realism and truth,” to further deepen the connection with the audience.
Ragey has expressed her feelings for Kious, explaining how he’s always looking for feedback to improve his craft, and how he’s one of the most dedicated students she’s ever taught.
She enjoys watching him on stage because of how immersed he is in every scene and with every character including his own.
“He’s the type of actor that will act from the tip of his fingers to the soles of his feet. It’s very compelling to watch,” Ragey said.
Kious is a very passionate and determined student who’s dedicated to everything he does. All his supporters are excited to see what his future holds.