Content Warning: Discusses self-harm and other sensitive topics.
Page to Stage Productions showcased some of the University of Connecticut’s brightest talents during their production of “Spring Awakening” on Sunday, April 14.
“Spring Awakening” is a coming-of-age musical by Steven Sater that debuted in 2006. The show illustrates the many highs and lows of adolescence and the grief that a lack of knowledge and understanding can bring to a community.
Set in the 1890s, religion is weaponized by elders in the community to shut out the emotional and sexual feelings that the teens possess, placing an emphasis on perfection and success, ultimately driving many of the characters to death or insanity.
“Spring Awakening was very eccentric,” Kristina Ivezaj, a second-semester math major at UConn, said. “Scenes were shocking, but in a good way.”
The show explored heavy themes, such as abuse, sexual violence, teen pregnancy, abortion and suicide. Nonetheless, the production was able to shed light on these topics through beautiful song and sarcasm.
The small but lively cast of the production conveyed the chaos of growing up in a confusing world perfectly.
Page to Stage Productions is one of the student-run theater organizations on campus. Actors, writers and stagehands with any level of experience can join the club. All productions are directed and produced by members of the club.
“Spring Awakening” was directed by Ava Dell’Orfano. Despite not having a large stage or a high production set, using only a few props, the cast and crew put on an enthralling show. There were moments when the entire audience was applauding, laughing, clapping along to songs or even shedding a few tears. The vocal and emotional range of lead actress, Isabella Mercado, was a highlight of the show.
The characters felt real, with raw performances by many, making the hardships of the community felt by the audience.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the show,” Ivezaj said. “The singing by the main characters was impeccable. They did an incredible job with the performing and acting.”
The musical shared intense depictions of emotional episodes and sexual intimacy. The finale of Act I presented a very detailed intimate scene of two main characters, Melchior Gabor, played by Troy Sweet, and Wendla Bergmann, played by Mercado. When the lights came on for intermission, the audience was full of gasps and shocked chatter.
Another very intense scene was when character, Moritz Stiefel, played by Ronald Prado, had a psychotic break marked by furious singing and ending with a suicide scene that sets up the remainder of the musical. The rest of the teens struggle with grief, as Wendla navigates her unexpected pregnancy and shame. Wendla also dies while receiving an abortion, leaving Melchior with all consuming grief.
Hope does shine on the teens, however, in number “Totally Fucked.” The surviving teens come together to mock how “fucked” everyone’s lives are, jumping around and finding comfort in the shared experience.
“My favorite song was ‘Totally Fucked.’ I was dancing to it at some point, I was definitely clapping to it,” Ivezaj said. “They got the energy from the crowd. It was very engaging.”
Page to Stage tragically and comically portrayed the ups and downs of adolescence that have been universal amongst teens since the 1800s and still preside today. The production was a wonderful rendition of the famous “Spring Awakening.”