From the moment they heard the opening notes of the musical “Hadestown,” Eurydice, its leading lady, instantly became one of Hawa Kamara’s ‘23 dream roles. Now, Kamara is stepping foot in the Emerson Colonial Theatre for the first time in that very role.

“Hadestown” is a musical based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, in which gifted musician Orpheus ventures into the underworld to save his wife, Eurydice, from Hades. In this version, the story is given a blues and folk music twist composed by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell. The musical will run in Boston at the Emerson Colonial Theatre from Feb. 26 to March 1 as part of its national tour, the second the show has done since its opening on Broadway in 2019. 

Originally from the Bronx, N.Y., Kamara majored in musical theatre at Emerson College. As the Boston tour dates now approach, they recalled the last time they performed in the city. They played the role of Wendy in the national tour of “Peter Pan” last January, which, when it came to Boston, was performed in the Citizens Bank Opera House. 

“I think that was my big return because it’s really huge, and it was right next to the Paramount, which is where we had all our theater classes,” they said in an interview with The Beacon. “It was really awesome to bring it home then.” 

Kamara said that they have never been in the Colonial Theatre before, not even to see a show.

“I feel like I’m checking off the boxes in Boston of the venues that I’m hoping to perform at,” they said. “I feel very blessed and honored to be able to bring it back one more time.”-

Kamara said they were initially drawn to attend Emerson because they could take a variety of classes even as a theatre major, from comedy writing to TV writing, which they explained is rare for musical theatre programs. Other places they considered followed a more conservatory-style structure where students were only permitted to take musical theatre-based classes.

“Also, in my audition [for Emerson], I felt really connected to myself and I felt that the emphasis was on my own person and how I was bringing my own person to my work,” Kamara said. 

That atmosphere set Emerson apart from other colleges for Kamara. They said that many college audition processes for theater feel isolating and lack personal connection. 

“[At other auditions] you feel more like a number, and at Emerson, I felt more like a person,” Kamara said. 

Kamara’s fondest memory during their college years was participating in the musical “The Spitfire Grill” during the fall of their senior year. They hadn’t heard of the show before landing the role, but they quickly fell in love with the story and its message of community and working within an imperfect world. 

“I also got to do it with some of my best friends. It was genuinely one of the best times I’ve had at Emerson,” they said. “Honestly, still to this day, one of the best shows I’ve done, easily.”  

These days, shows for Kamara look very different from when they were at Emerson, as they now take their performances across the country on various tours. The constant travel can take a toll, something they quickly learned during this experience. 

“It’s a lot of balance and figuring out what the weather and climate is going to do to your body,” they said. 

To Kamara, however, that’s a small price to pay to be part of such a beloved musical like “Hadestown.” 

“I would have been grateful to have any role in this. Literally anything. I think the message is so powerful, especially today,” they said. “I think it is such a beautifully written show. The music is so touching.” 

When they received an email that there was an opportunity to send in an audition tape, they didn’t hesitate to try their hand — and it landed them that dream part they’d wanted since their days as an Emerson student. 

“It’s really a dream come true. I never get tired of doing it every day. It is absolutely one of the best roles I could ever even think of,” Kamara said. “Eurydice is one of the only roles I’ve really seen myself in.”

They said they felt right at home both within the role and in the show itself. One particular detail they noted about the show is the role of the band. Rather than being in an invisible orchestra pit, band members are on stage and interacting with the performers, allowing the music to be centered in the show. Kamara said they admire how the idea of community is central to the ethos of the show. 

“It has something that connects so easily to humanity and the way that a person walks within the world,” they said. They also appreciate the unique nature of this leading lady role and the various levels of emotion Eurydice holds that make her more than the usual one-dimensional ingenue. 

“I think … my director has told me this before, that she is a victim, but it’s not all about her victimhood,” they said.“It’s lovely to be able to play all of the levels that are Eurydice.” 

As they prepared to perform at the theater on campus, Kamara offered advice for current theater students, remembering how worried they were about getting work when they were in the students’ position. 

“There’s … the comparison of people who have already gotten jobs, or it seems like things are leaping for other people and you’re like, ‘Oh, I did, like, a million auditions and I’m not hearing anything back yet,’” they said. 

Kamara stressed that comparing yourself to others does much more harm than good. 

“Other people have different paths,” Kamara said. “Whatever will come to you will be for you, and jealousy and comparison will never ever help you out.”

They recommended that students keep themselves — as well as their character — in mind when they perform so that their authenticity shines through to the audience. 

“No one wants someone who’s faking something,” they said. “The point of theater is to reach out to people and so that people can see themselves through whatever it is.”