SPRING AWAKENING Opens at CRT, 4/12

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) will present the award-winning musical Spring Awakening, April 12 -28 in the Harriet S. Jorgensen, Storrs. For tickets and information, call 860-486-4226 or visit www.crt.uconn.edu.

Spring Awakening follows a group of teenagers overwhelmed with hormones, feelings of desire and shame, and a total lack of understanding of sex, love and what it means to grow up. All of the young adults are floundering and at risk due to the puritanical rules forced on them by overbearing adult figures. Some of the teens are able to push through while others simply self-destruct. None of them escape without scars but all experience valuable life lessons. Spring Awakening gives audiences insight into the excitement and complexities of coming of age. 

Director Vincent J. Cardinal said, “Like the original 1891 play by Frank Wedekind, this intoxicating coming of age rock musical intends to drop kick traditional conventions of theatre while telling the stories of a group of teens who are taking their first thrilling, terrifying, hopeful steps on the human journey.”

This empowering youthful tragedy deals with issues of sexual abuse, abortion, suicide, and homosexuality.  Underlining these issues, the play explores the more delicate subjects of intellectual and creative repression, emotional trauma, and living a life of lies. Spring Awakening is an electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality and rock & roll.

Spring Awakening won eight Tony awards including best musical and best score, as well as four drama desk awards including Outstanding Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.  Musical Director Ken Clark said, “In all my years of doing shows, I’ve never worked on one quite like this. The songs in Spring Awakening do a great job of conveying and eliciting emotion. The music, a rock band with string trio, is very expressive in terms of storytelling and character development. The songs are wonderful pieces of music with incredible harmonies which run the gamut of styles from folk to hard rock!”