Michaela Woodward – Staff Writer

Feb. 23, 2023 marks the opening night of the Theatre & Dance department’s production of Spring Awakening, a 2006 Broadway rock musical with music by Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater. 

Director Kimberly Braun and Choreographer Jeffrey Peterson spent J-Term rehearsing and preparing for the production with a cast and crew of Gustavus students. 

“It is a delight to watch the students grow as actors and fully embody these roles,” Braun said. 

Braun also notes that the choreography is a standout of this production. 

“There is more dancing in our version! Jeffrey Peterson’s choreography takes this production to the next level,” Braun said. 

The musical is based on German playwright Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play of the same name. The story follows the coming-of-age of a group of schoolchildren as they learn and face the hard truths of the world around them. 

“Spring Awakening explores coming-of-age and autonomy through love and friendship. A heart-wrenching tale of censorship and access to healthcare, Spring Awakening delights the senses with gorgeous music and dancing,” Via the Gustavus Ticketing page for the event. 

Junior Cristina Sirbu has been involved in the Theatre & Dance and Music departments in her time at Gustavus and will be playing Hanschen in this production.

“I would say Spring Awakening is a coming-of-age show that embodies the fact that children must be taught the true colors of the world and most especially, sexual education, otherwise they will go out and be careless of themselves without knowing the dangers of sex, abuse, loss of childhood, etc.,” Sirbu said. 

The complex themes were a highlight and a challenge for students involved in the production.

Sophomore Houston McLaury has been involved in past theater productions and is playing Herr Gabor in Spring Awakening. 

“For me, the production was very long. Just, long hours over the J-Term semester where we really dug into the meat of the play and talked about the themes, and how we individually interpreted the play. All this going on while we practiced the show or learned new dances every day. But during this time we were able to get to know each other as castmates, and bond over the work we were putting into the production,” McLaury said. 

In addition to the long hours, the production has demanded openness and emotional depth. 

“This play, for me, is about vulnerability. Vulnerability of not knowing, of being known by another person, and the vulnerability and fear of never being known by anyone. And you have these parental figures who are meant to nurture or ebb away at these fears, but more often than not do the exact opposite, letting their fears burst out and ruin these children’s lives,” McLaury said. 

While the plot of the show is based in the past, First-year Theater major Caroline Butler notes that the themes are still relevant to audiences today.

“The show takes place in the 1890s, and opened on Broadway in 2006, but the topics covered in our show are still conversations we are having now. Our cast has had conversations about the material and how we are able to make these characters’ stories heard and real without using our own personal pain onstage. It can be a heavy show, but I believe it is one that needs to be told,” Butler said. 

Despite the heavy topics, the cast and crew’s bond with each other has been a source of strength and community. 

“I am so grateful to have gotten to know the cast and to have been able to see what we were able to do as the month progressed. I cannot wait to show the Gustavus community the show, and I hope they get as much out of it as we have to put the show on,” McLaury said. 

“The show was so fun to put together, all crew members and staff were so respectful and down to earth. We’ve done a lot in just a couple of weeks and I can say that we are all very excited to show everyone what we’ve been working on,” Sirbu said.

This is a show no one will want to miss – not only to recognize the hard work of everyone involved but for the important themes and messages that the show discusses. 

“In my opinion, I would say that GAC students should come to the show in order to understand why it’s important to educate future generations about the world we live in. Also, who doesn’t like watching a good show for free?” Sirbu said. 

“This is the hottest ticket in town. The singing is dynamite and the dancing is superb. Don’t wait until closing; you will want to see this more than once,” Braun said.

Audiences should be aware of heavy themes such as abuse, death, and sexual assault. Please see the event page for more information. Tickets can be purchased at https://gustavustickets.universitytickets.com/w/ 

Spring Awakening runs Feb. 23-24 at 8:00 p.m. and Feb. 25-26 at 2:00 p.m. in Anderson Theater.