Vince GarciaTowering stairs border the stage and a lone piano sits in front of cutout trees that line the background. The lights dim and fade to purple as smoke creeps across the floor, setting the stage for Santa Ana College’s Fall theater production.
Behind the scenes, Chelsey Hawkins runs across the floor with clothes in hand, rushing to get dressed. A woman pulls a rack full of costumes out of a hallway and sets it by a group of actors for easy access. Spirits were high, and there was an excited energy despite the cast rushing to showtime.
This is Spring Awakening.
The dark story exposes the consequences of leaving teenagers to navigate sexuality, repression, abuse and adults’ failure to recognize young people’s struggles.
Directed by SAC theater instructor John Blaylock, the play is based on Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s musical version of Frank Wedekind’s 1891 drama. The production follows a group of teenagers whose curiosity about adulthood collides with a society that leaves them with nothing but pain and zero answers.
Through Erin Tardibuono, the character Wendla Bergmann’s unanswered questions about sexuality and the consequences of her pregnancy illustrate how withholding information can leave young people unprepared for difficult situations.
In the opening scene, Wendla’s mother, Frau Bergmann, played by Hawkins, avoids answering her question about how to make love, establishing the communication gap between mother and daughter.
“You don’t realize the repercussions of that scene, but you do get it from the very beginning,” Blaylock said. “It sets the tone for the show, and how we are communicating to our kids and shows what happens if we fail to prepare them in a way that they need.”
“The repercussions of that scene land in a very serious way,” Blaylock said.
Wendla’s relationship with Melchior Gabor, played by Gavin McCarthy, adds another weird dimension to the story. Wendla finds Melchior attractive and eventually asks Melchior to whip her with a stick, which Melchior refuses. However, after being pushed to his breaking point by Wendla’s begging, he concedes and does as she asks.
Wendla’s curiosity about sexuality and her limited understanding of its implications reveal how a lack of honest communication can leave teenagers unprepared to navigate their own desires and boundaries.
“No more,” Melchior says when Wendla later approaches him in the hayloft to talk about their situation. His frustration and anger later isolate him, but the feeling vanishes when he lays his head on Wendla’s chest and says, “I can feel your heartbeat, Wendla.”
She becomes flustered, saying to Melchior, “I don’t know,” insinuating she is uncomfortable. Melchior ignores her and says, “Are we not allowed to love?”
Melchior’s decision to continue kissing Wendla despite her resistance raises questions about consent, reflecting the play’s broader themes of what happens when teenagers are left unprepared to navigate relationships.
The scene ends with Wendla’s sexual assault by Melchior.
After an intense scene where Frau Bergmann concludes that Wendla is pregnant, the girl breaks her silence and confronts her mother.
Crying and screaming, Wendla asks why her mother never told her everything, revealing her frustration with the lack of preparation for big obstacles in life.
The last we see of Wendla is her dying from anemia when her mom sends her off to the doctor.
Blaylock said the production worked with intimacy coordinator Bailey Walker to choreograph intimate scenes and help the actors feel safe while portraying the story.
The production also explores the struggles of growing up through Otto Lammermeier, played by Eel Navarro. Although Otto is a supporting character, Navarro said the songs “Totally Fucked“ and “Left Behind” were especially meaningful in exploring vulnerability and frustrations.
“There’s a moment in time when you are growing up, and it can be any day, no matter how old you are or what kind of experience in life you are going through; there’s always going to be a time when you are thinking to yourself, what’s going on with my life? What can I do? What do I want to do with my life?” Navarro said.
Santa Ana College’s production of Spring Awakening portrays the difficulties of adolescence in a society that fails to prepare young people for adulthood. Through Wendla’s struggles with unanswered questions about sexuality and Otto’s search for identity, the musical highlights the importance of communication, guidance, and understanding during the transition into growing up.
The play ran from Friday, Oct. 16th-18th
