Cast

Eleanor Van Hest as Wendla

Luke Bailey as Melchior

Nick McDow as Moritz

Catherine Talton as Martha

Danika Sudik as Thea

Jen Bailey as Ilse

Morgan Early as Frau Bergmann

Olivia Choate as Frau Gabor

David Hassett as Hans

Matthew Schueller as Ernst

Kyle Cadman

Isaac Wade

Sarah Girard

Creative Team

Written by Frank Wedekind

Directed by Evan Drane

Adapted by the Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble

Lead Writer - Evan Drane

Scenic & Lighting Design - François-Pierre Couture

Costume Designer - Shannon Kennedy

Click here to visit the Spring’s Awakening press page.

SPRING'S AWAKENING, written by Frank Wedekind and directed by Evan Drane, brilliantly portrays our paradoxical relationship with the human condition through the lens of a controversial subject matter:  the curiosity of teenagers.  Set in 1890's Germany, three children embark on a mission to explore their newfound interest of sex, a subject suppressed by parents and teachers alike.  In an effort to clear his head  from confounding imagery, Moritz - the dunce of his school - asks his best friend, and ace student, Melchior to write an essay for him on the subject of copulation.  Meanwhile, Melchior, the presumptive expert, begins to delve into his own feelings of temptation with childhood friend Wendla, a gentle soul who resists the oncoming dolling of womanhood.  The children's exploration leads to  actions with grave consequences, culminating  in the erasing of all that is familiar.

This exciting new translation by Drane and the Ensemble craftily combines Wedekind's ideas with a subtle but present contemporary dialog.  The result is a clear enunciation of Wedekind's themes for the modern audience, specifically the equal mixture of comedy and tragedy to display the desire that lies within us all.  In the end, the play clearly demonstrates a startling paradox - our tendency to run from and towards truth.