After only one week, “Spring Awakening” has surpassed the total attendance of the full two-week run of last year’s fall musical, “Side Show”.
“[‘Spring Awakening’] is already pretty well-known to student-age audiences, and it speaks to them,” Director Scott Kanoff said. “Like ‘RENT’, it’s one of those iconic, genre-changing shows that come along now and then.”
Sophomore Sarah Heilbronner plays the character of Wendla Bergmann, a 14-year-old girl who asks her mother where babies come from. After her mother refuses to answer the question, Wendla unintentionally sets out to find the answer herself.
“It’s a rock musical; it’s contemporary,” Heilbronner said. “It has some raunchy themes, which actually is what seems to get people to go.”
According to Heilbronner, the show’s success may also be attributed to the department’s efforts to publicize the show. From photos and videos to Facebook blasts, “Spring Awakening” has been promoted far more than other Bradley productions.
Heilbronner said the actors hope to perform additional well-known productions in the future because that is what keeps people coming back. However, Kanoff said picking a theater production is not as easy as it may sound.
The Theatre Department has to consider the students’ curricular needs and ability levels, accreditation standards, budgets for guest artists and availability of faculty and student designers.
While ticket sales have deemed this production a monetary success, Kanoff said he has his own definition of success.
“Success is such a relative thing,” he said. “While it’s great to have lots of people come to a show and love it, it’s the process of collaboration, discovery, learning and stretching of personal boundaries among the participant—and between artists and audiences—that really measures our success. That’s what Bradley, or any educational community, has to be about, isn’t it?”
“Spring Awakening” continues its run this weekend, as the show wraps up with a 2:30 p.m. Sunday matinee. Tickets may be purchased by calling the box office at (309) 677-2650.
