spring awakening
(frühlingserwachen)
by frank wedekind // translated by jonathan franzen // directed by ted witzel // premiered in april 2015 at ryerson theatre school.
frank wedekind’s 1891 play follows the journey of a group of children in a small town as their burgeoning sexualities leave them feeling oppressed and ignored by a society that will not give them the knowledge nor the language to discuss their experience. in the absence of any education, the children experiment with masturbation, BDSM, and homosexuality, as they struggle to come of age in a society where shame is the standard and silence is the rule. sometimes cringe-inducingly comic, sometimes searingly painful, wedekind’s cinematic masterpiece drives towards a tragic conclusion that is all-too-easily preventable.
“would you hit me with it? i’ve never been beaten in my whole life. please—?”
directed by ted witzel. set design by david beisel. costume design by christina gonsalves. lighting design by jessica fountain. sound and video design by matthew sirna. stage management by aisling gibson. technical direction by perrin bryson. performed by the second-year acting ensemble of ryerson theatre school.