Notre Dame Film, Television, and Theatre Presents SPRING AWAKENING
The University of Notre Dame's Department of Film, Television, and Theatre (FTT) announces the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening, with book and lyrics by Steven Sater and music by Duncan Sheik, in the Patricia George Decio Theatre at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, April 18-22. Based on the 1891 play by German playwright Frank Wedekind, Sater and Sheik's alt-rock musical won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, in 2007.
Pulsing with adolescent angst and repressed sexuality, Spring Awakening presents an oppressive culture in which youthful ignorance is cultivated and enforced by parents and institutions alike. Denied any accurate information about sex, these adolescents are forced to figure it out on their own, with disastrous results.
"Ultimately it's a show about adults failing young people," says director Matt Hawkins, "and young people being saddled with the catastrophic consequences of that failure. Kids are rarely the problem. It's adults who are the problem."
Similar sentiments have been the subject of many recent headlines, as young people have taken the lead in the national movement to curb gun violence.
"When we chose Spring Awakening more than a year ago, we could not have known how timely - and urgent - this choice would be," says Director of Theatre Kevin Dreyer. "Shortly after the school shooting in Florida, our students learned that some of the Parkland students were also involved in a production of Spring Awakening, and they were instantly motivated to reach out to them with a gesture of support."
FTT is supporting the students' gesture of solidarity from one cast to another by donating a portion of the box office proceeds to the #neveragain fund for Parkland students.
Two weeks prior to opening, FTT will welcome composer Duncan Sheik to campus, where he will visit rehearsal and work with the cast. On Thursday, April 5 at 5:00 pm, the department will host a public conversation with Sheik in the Patricia George Decio Theatre at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The event is free but tickets are required.
In response to the many issues surrounding this production, the department will host a pre-show panel discussion on Thursday, April 19 at 6:00 pm. No tickets are required.
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