Feature: SPRING AWAKENING at Tri-M Productions

Tri-M Productions presents "Spring Awakening", the 2007 Tony Award-winning musical with book and lyrics by Steven Sater and music by Duncan Sheik, based on the 1891 play by Frank Wedekind. This large-cast modern classic features a very timely story about what faces our youth as they mature.

Tri-M's production of Spring Awakening, running June 24th through July 3rd, features over twenty Santa Fe/Albuquerque based performers, including Anna Balsamo, Elizebeth Barnes, Miles Blitch, Natalie Bonelli, Marguerite Boone, Andrew Bornman, Emily Breitbach, Laura Garrett, Miya Hamashige, Kathryn Harrell, Marina Heaney, Caleb Heaton, Rebecca Jimenez, Katherine Keener, Jensen Klodnicki, Caiti Lord, Ian Noble, John Reiser, Victor Reyes, Emme Segler, Carlos Vazquez Baur, and Jeremiah Vigil. Creative includes direction by Marilyn Barnes, musical direction by Kathlene Ritch, choreography by Elizebeth Barnes (with Laura Garrett as assistant choreographer), fight and intimacy choreography by Zoe Burke (with Victor Reyes as assistant intimacy/fight choreographer), technical direction by Sarah LeBlanc, and costumes by Anne de May of Costumes, Ltd.

In addition to rehearsing for a trio of benefit concerts, the Tri-M company has been working on this production since May; many of the performers were teens -- and thus the target audience -- during either the original Broadway run or the 2015 Deaf West revival, adding additional resonance to the time spent working on this timely project.

"I've been obsessed with this show since I was 14 years old," says Marina Heaney, who plays Wendla. "It just stirred something in me - I had never seen anything like it before or since. Getting to bring Wendla to life is an absolute dream come true for me. On the surface, she seems like just a naive young girl, but she's so much more than that. She's smart and curious. She wants nothing more than to live and feel, which is what makes her story so tragic. Her death isn't a choice she made, but a consequence of the choices made by the authority figures she's put trust in. She is such a complex character and has pushed me far past what I thought I could achieve onstage. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the support and hard work of our incredible cast and crew!"

Kathryn Harrell, who plays Martha, says, "when I first listened to The Dark I Know Well in 2006, it was just another powerhouse anthem for my angsty teenaged self to release my frustrations. Sixteen years later, our world has seen a #MeToo movement, rights being taken away from LGBTQIA+ individuals, way too many shootings, and a fight for Roe v. Wade -- again. This song is so much more now. I am proud and honored to tell Martha's story. Her story belongs to so many women, children, and men. I am grateful that Tri-M and the entire cast have allowed me a safe space to sing about such a personal and sensitive topic."

Andrew Bornman, who is in the ensemble and understudies Georg, says, "working on Spring Awakening has been a wonderful and amazing experience. Within my own experience I have made friends and family -- not only that, but have experienced healing in myself and have helped heal others. We are ready for Santa Fe's voices to be heard."

Carloz Vazquez Baur, who plays Moritz, said, "Spring Awakening as a show is so rewarding to perform because it discusses one of the most important problems in our society. To me, the central theme is toxic masculinity and how it destroys these young boys, and in turn harms the young girls around them. Playing Mortiz, a boy who is too sensitive for this kind of masculinity, has forced me to think critically [about] all the things I grew up being told were the right way to act as a man, and forced me to contemplate if healthy masculinity exists and what it might look like."

How to Get Tickets

Spring Awakening contains intense sexual situations, explicit language, and triggering scenes of violence, including child abuse and suicide. Viewer discretion is advised; it is recommended that the show is not suitable for anyone younger than high school age. Those with questions or concerns may contact Tri-M at 505-670-4854.

To continue to protect the cast and crew and keep the performances coming, Tri-M and host venue the New Mexico Actors Lab require people to continue to wear masks inside the theater.

For more information and tickets, please visit https://www.trimsantafe.org/.