Hellenika: The Musical (A Public Reading)

Name: Hellenika: The Musical (A Public Reading)
Start: 2026-01-30T00:00:00-06:00
End: 2026-01-31T23:59:59-06:00
Location: Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall

Set in the Golden Age of Athens, HELLENIKA is a journey into the world’s first democracy, examining how its unraveling can illuminate our present path. The story charts not only the last 33 years of Sokrates’ life, but the life of his teacher—a brilliant woman named Aspasia—and the effect she had on his teachings. At its core, this musical explores the fragility of democratic institutions, the importance of raising your voice against injustice, and the power of ideas to shape society.

Music, Lyrics and Book by Kyle Thomas Hanneken

This event is presented by an independent organization separate from the Marcus Performing Arts Center.

Nathaniel Hackmann

NATHANIEL HACKMANN is an internationally renowned baritone known for originating the role of Biff Tannen in Back To The Future on Broadway. He has portrayed Jean Valjean and Javert on Broadway in Les Misérables, as well as the titular roles in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jekyll and Hyde, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. For the televised BBC Proms concerts at London’s Royal Albert Hall, he appeared as Curly with the John WIlson Orchestra in Oklahoma! and Gabey in On The Town for Leonard Bernstein’s 100th Birthday Celebration. Nathaniel holds a B.M. & Masters in vocal performance from CMU. On Instagram, he’s @n8hackmann.

Teagan Earley

TEAGAN EARLEY is a Chicago-based singer, actor, and producer known for originating the role of Athena in the viral sensation EPIC: The Musical, which climbed to the #2 Cast Albums spot on the Billboard Charts. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, she has a B.A. in Theatre and is a proud co-founder of Sisters First Productions. Previous theatrical credits include Connie Dayton in Come Blow Your Horn at The New Theatre, Lucille in Parade at Theatre Nebula, and Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. Teagan writes and releases her own music under the name TE/MO. For more, visit www.teaganearley.com.

Kyle Thomas Hanneken

KYLE THOMAS HANNEKEN is a composer, lyricist, playwright and historian whose artistic mission is to tell the stories of the ancient past through the lens of the present in order to build a better future. He is a regular performer with ComedySportz Milwaukee, having appeared in more than a thousand shows over the course of the last decade. A Milwaukee-native, Kyle holds a B.F.A. in Music Composition & Technology from UW-Milwaukee. His band The Gardener released their debut album Differences In Distances in 2018. With Hellenika: The Musical, Kyle combines his love for music and history to retell the most important story never told: the flourishing and gradual destruction of The Golden Age of Athens. For more, visit www.KyleThomasHanneken.com.