Balagan Theatre Announces Cast & Crew of SPRING AWAKENING

Balagan Theatre will produce the regional premiere of Spring Awakening this January, directed by Seattle musical mainstay Eric Ankrim and featuring promising young local actors Brian Earp, Jerick Hoffer, and Diana Huey as the leading trio in this coming-of-age rock musical.

Performances are January 6-8 and 12-15 at the Erickson Theatre on Capitol Hill (1524 Harvard Avenue, Seattle). Tickets go on sale Monday, December 5, at www.brownpapertickets.com.

Spring Awakening features music by Grammy-winning artist Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater. The 2006 Broadway production won eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Original Score; and launched the careers of Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff (of television’s Glee). Set in late-1890s Germany, the musical follows a group of teenagers as they discover and explore their minds, bodies, and passions in the journey through adolescence to adulthood.

Brian Earp (Melchior) is a Seattle native and has performed in a variety of local theatres, including Village Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, and The 5th Avenue Theatre. He has played nearly 50 leading roles in New York, Seattle, and at Yale and Oxford Universities, including a recent performance as Melchior in the Keble O’Reilly Theatre production of Spring Awakening (Oxford).

Jerick Hoffer (Moritz) is a Capitol Hill resident and graduate of Cornish College of the Arts. Last year he starred in Book-it Repertory Theatre’s Red Ranger Came Calling and performed with the Seattle Shakespeare Company. Hoffer is also well-known around town as Jinkx Monsoon, the drag queen cabaret chanteuse and host of “An Evening at Le Faux” at Julia’s on Broadway.

Diana Huey (Wendla) is a rising star on the Seattle musical scene, recently closing Village Theatre’s Take Me America and currently performing in ACT Theatre’s A Christmas Carol. A native of Mukilteo, Huey graduated from Cornish College of the Arts and currently resides in Capitol Hill. She is the theme song voice of New Day Northwest and will soon guest-star on TNT’s Leverage.

The 21-member cast (many of whom are current high school students) also includes: PatRick Baxter, Kody Bringham, Jeanette d’Armand, Kirsten Delohr Helland, Bryan Gula, Lindsey Hedberg, Justin Huertas, Emily Huston, Victoria Knight, Michael Krenning, Tatum Ludlam, Solea Pfeiffer, Mike Spee, Tori Spero, Mark Waldstein, Evan Woltz, Brianne Wylie, and Ben Wynant.

The production is directed by Eric Ankrim, a prolific local musical artist who has performed in lead roles with Village Theatre and Seattle Children’s Theatre, and will soon star as Curly in Oklahoma! at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Kimberly Dare is the musical director; in addition to her work with Balagan (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, The Full Monty), she has worked with ArtsWest, Contemporary Classics, Centerstage Theatre, and Second-Story Repertory.

The creative team also includes Shawn Belyea (Assistant Director / Balagan Artistic Director), Danielle Franich (Stage Manager), Jake Groshong (Executive Producer / Balagan Executive Director), Chris Monsos (Assistant Stage Manager), and RJ Tancioco (Music Supervisor).