The turbulent path to adulthood takes center stage in "Spring Awakening." The Savannah Stage Company is presenting the play from June 22–25 at The Lobby of Savannah Rep on Broughton Street. This is the first production of their 11th season, which they are calling the "Season of Experimentation."
"We think of ourselves as scientists of our art. Ten years have happened and with that milestone, we thought about what the next step was from here. What is the beginning of that process is to go out and start experimenting," said Savannah Stage Company artistic director Jayme Tinti, who is also co-directing this production with Lexi Balaoing Ambrose.
"Spring Awakening" is based on Frank Wedekind’s provocative 1891 play that follows the intertwining stories of a group of teenagers as they navigate the treacherous path from youth to adulthood.
Though the play is over 100 years old, it has been kept alive and adapted over time with its universal themes, including puberty, sexuality, child abuse, homosexuality, and suicide, to name a few. The play had often been banned or censored because of its content and relationship to youth.
For SSC, this play serves as a stark reminder of the consequences that can arise from a society's refusal to acknowledge and nurture the natural impulses of its youth.
"The parallels of this show to current topics are something that we all talk about every other day. I'm always sending the actors something that is happening right now that relates to the play," said Tinti.
A musical adaptation of the play opened off-Broadway in 2006 and subsequently moved to Broadway, where it collected eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The rock musical, with book and lyrics by Steven Sater and music by Duncan Sheik, takes the young protagonists on a journey where they confront their own burgeoning sexuality, unmet desires and the stifling weight of societal expectations.
Shelby Parker, who plays Wendla, a girl who turns 14 at the beginning of the play, begs her mother to tell her the truth about how babies are born but is never given adequate facts.
"She is living in this religious society and this world where she doesn't know things. A lot of things were hidden from Wendla," said Parker.
Parker, who is a graduate student at SCAD, had not heard of the Savannah State Company until her school told her about the auditions.
"I've only lived in the Savannah area since September, and it was exciting just to get connected with another theater in the area. It was such a warm audition process. I get the role of Wendla, which is a role that I never thought about getting the opportunity to play," said Parker.
Gabriella Haddock-Cotto, a SCAD graduate, plays Thea, one of the schoolgirl friends of Wendla.
"Thea is one of the younger girls, and she is a lot more curious about the taboo compared to the other girls, but of course it still scares her. I can connect with that side of her. As a kid, I was a rule-follower," said Haddock-Cotto. "The thought of going against those rules is almost a thrill. An adventure that she's slowly diving into with the other girls."
Haddock-Cotto wanted to get involved in local theater in Savannah as well and was auditioning for a show at the Tybee Post Theatre when she met Tinti and was brought into the fold of the Savannah Stage Company.
"I’m excited for the new experiences we'll discover in each show. As people know, shows aren't always perfect, things happen. It's how we work together as an ensemble to get through and tell our story to the audience," said Haddock-Cotto.
This show features the largest cast and crew to date for Savannah Stage Company, bringing many new artists to audiences. Leading the production are Shelby Parker and Noah Veledota, as Wendla and Melchoir.
The girls of the village include SSC staple and company manager Abigail D’Aguillo as Anna, and newcomers Kylie Shaieb as Martha, Jane Marie Price as Ilse, Gabriella Haddock as Thea, Brittany Cerra as Frieda, and Oliva Bell as Johanna and as an understudy for Wendla.
For the boys, SSC welcomes recent Savannah Arts Academy graduate Marshall Benton as Mortiz, Thomas Luna as Hänschen, Tyron Ford-Everett as Otto, and SCAD students Myles Bright as Georg and William Belvin as Ernst.
"It has been really important to our company to acknowledge the voice of younger people, which I think is an important theme of the show, is acknowledging the impulses of the younger generation," said Tinti.
The adult characters are played by Shawna Peña-Downing, and SSC favorites, Gary Shelby and Malinda Davis-Smith. Ella Foose and Sadie Forman serve as understudies. Megan Wellman Blanton is serving as musical director, with Jarred Corona serving as assistant musical director and Michael Ferguson as choreographer, with Ella Foose as dance captain.
"Our music director is great. With the cast, it's always wonderful just to sit and listen to one another, especially when you're in an ensemble. We have our solo moments, but I love when we’re all together," said Parker.
SSC is offering special late-night viewings of "Spring Awakening" that are available as ‘pay what it’s worth,’ giving the audience the chance to pay after the performance, whatever they felt it was worth. This is an effort to continue their mission to make theater accessible for audiences.
Location was another factor in accessibility, which is why SSC is working with The Lobby at Savannah Rep to continue to bring more theater to Broughton Street, an area they feel is accessible to many.
"Savannah Rep are such dear friends of ours, and we are supporters of the works that they do, and any success of theirs is a success of ours. They are so generous in many ways. We feel so thankful that we get to help bring that vision of theirs to life," said Tinti.
"Spring Awakening'' contains semi-partial nudity and sexual content, as well as explicit language. It is recommended for ages 15 and up. The play runs from June 22–25 at The Lobby of Savannah Rep on Broughton Street. For showtimes and tickets, visit savannahstagecompany.com.
