Overview
Spring Awakening
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts,
Deaf West Theatre & Cody Lassen present
Spring Awakening
Book and Lyrics by Steven Sater
Music by Duncan Sheik
Choreography by Spencer Liff
Directed by Michael Arden
Based on Frank Wedekind’s controversial 1891 expressionist play and featuring an electrifying score, Spring Awakening follows the lives of a group of adolescents as they navigate their journey from adolescence to adulthood in a fusion of morality, sexuality and rock & roll. Deaf West Theatre’s innovative new production of the Tony Award-winning musical - performed simultaneously in American Sign Language and spoken English by a cast of 25 - was heralded as an “emotional triumph” by the Los Angeles Times and enjoyed a sold-out engagement at downtown L.A.'s Rosethnal Theatre in the fall of 2014.
NOTE: Spring Awakening contains brief nudity, strong language and is recommended for mature teenagers and older.
Reviews:
“It's hard to enumerate all the ways in which the Deaf West's “Awakening” is so very, very good. The signing in this production does more than simply translate; it ennobles. Spencer Liff's choreography incorporates signing and movement into perfectly coordinated sequences that seem completely organic to the narrative, while music director Jared Stein exploits the show's young singers to spine-tingling effect. Yet the real star of the evening is director Michael Arden, whose staging involves a mind-bogglingly intricate meld of the show's many disparate elements. Compositionally spectacular and emotionally truthful, his ‘Awakening’ awakens us to the dormant possibilities of this musical, with all the goosebumps and teardrops to prove it.” - Los Angeles Times
Please Note: 2014/2015 Season Performance. Not eligible for 2015/2016 Season Add On Purchases
Deaf West Theatre & Cody Lassen present
Spring Awakening
Book and Lyrics by Steven Sater
Music by Duncan Sheik
Choreography by Spencer Liff
Directed by Michael Arden
Based on Frank Wedekind’s controversial 1891 expressionist play and featuring an electrifying score, Spring Awakening follows the lives of a group of adolescents as they navigate their journey from adolescence to adulthood in a fusion of morality, sexuality and rock & roll. Deaf West Theatre’s innovative new production of the Tony Award-winning musical - performed simultaneously in American Sign Language and spoken English by a cast of 25 - was heralded as an “emotional triumph” by the Los Angeles Times and enjoyed a sold-out engagement at downtown L.A.'s Rosethnal Theatre in the fall of 2014.
NOTE: Spring Awakening contains brief nudity, strong language and is recommended for mature teenagers and older.
Reviews:
“It's hard to enumerate all the ways in which the Deaf West's “Awakening” is so very, very good. The signing in this production does more than simply translate; it ennobles. Spencer Liff's choreography incorporates signing and movement into perfectly coordinated sequences that seem completely organic to the narrative, while music director Jared Stein exploits the show's young singers to spine-tingling effect. Yet the real star of the evening is director Michael Arden, whose staging involves a mind-bogglingly intricate meld of the show's many disparate elements. Compositionally spectacular and emotionally truthful, his ‘Awakening’ awakens us to the dormant possibilities of this musical, with all the goosebumps and teardrops to prove it.” - Los Angeles Times
Please Note: 2014/2015 Season Performance. Not eligible for 2015/2016 Season Add On Purchases