Spring Awakening took place on July 21-23, 2017 at the Studio Theatre at Lehman College featuring performers of the Morris Park Players ages 17-21.
Production Notes (as described in Playbill): "When thinking about Spring Awakening, I can't help but be amazed how a play from 1890 can be sending the same warnings to modern audiences, namely, to acknowledge and educate our children, to listen to their cries and their dreams, to hear their stories. This play was so accurately subtitled "A Children's Tragedy" because of how preventable the outcome of this tale and all others like it are: if adults are honest with their children and students, they are more able to learn from the mistakes of their elders and be the bearers of positive change. Adults so often underestimate the intellectual and emotional capacity of children, an epidemic that has proven to be detrimental to human progress over time.
Our production is set entirely in a classroom to embody the small world children's entire lives revolve around. While school is a place of discipline and rules, it is also the place that children have the freedom to learn from, listen to, and confide in one another. Furthermore, the children also play the adults in the play because this is their own version of these events. And despite being set in 1890, we found the costume choices for our characters are more reflective of one of the most relevant eras of youth rebellion, the 1960s, which was truly a time of 'awakening'. of calling attention to the validity of young people's lives - their emotions and their actions. We want this to help remove the show from its time and realize that this is a problem that continues to persist throughout history.
As a theatre company run by young adults, we are so used to being told what we can't do instead of what we can. We want our audiences to realize that children are able, children are smart, are capable of love and fear, and children have stories worth hearing.
It's never too late to open your eyes, ears, and mind."
Read the rest of the Playbill here.
Watch the production below!