Spring Awakening

Spring Awakening, a rock musical created in 2006 by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, based off of the play by German playwright Frank Wedekind, was recently revived by the Deaf West Theatre located in Los Angeles, California.

The Deaf West Theatre produces shows that break boundaries of typical theater everyday by using both deaf and hearing actors.

Director Michael Arden beautifully retells this coming of age story with his use of signing actors playing the majority of the characters in the musical.

When actors are either not signing and just speaking or only signing and not speaking, the production makes sure that every audience member has the ability to understand what is being conveyed. The production projects the words being said or signed onto various surfaces. In one scene, they appear on a chalkboard, and in another they can be seen on the large wall in the back.

For actors who cannot speak, there were people cast to play their “voice”; The voice for each deaf actor sings the songs and speaks the lines of that particular actor, while the deaf actor both acts and signs for the character.

Arden very effectively uses words and signs to increase tension and emotion in the show. During some of the more serious scenes, he uses just signing, leaving the theater in complete silence.

The most effective moments of the show are such when the deaf, non-speaking actors, speak. Their voices are mostly used in scenes in order to enhance anger or fear, show their raw emotion to the audience.

The lighting design of the show, created by Dan Stanton incorporates symbolic details, such as blue lighting during scenes referencing sadness or bright lights including red, yellow, purple, orange, and green colors throughout scenes of teen angst and uprising.

Not only is this show pleasing to the eyes with its artistic visual design including time-period costumes and a simple, yet complex set (Dane Laffrey), along with the previously mentioned lighting design, but it also is pleasing to listen to.

Playing the leading male Melchior Gabor, Austin P. McKenzie, a hearing actor, never had any professional theater experience, just a few plays here and there in high school. After discovering his love for signing and being involved with the deaf community at the age of 15, he continued to study ASL (American Sign Language) and special needs at Columbia College Chicago. McKenzie was applying for an interpreting job in this production, and ended up landing the lead role. McKenzie graces the stage with his fluent signing skills, delicate tenor voice, and raw acting, making a very convincing Melchior.

Opposite McKenzie, Sandra Mae Frank, who previously appeared in Switched at Birth as a receptionist, portrays Wendla Bergman in a beautiful way, really showing the innocence of the character. Frank, a deaf actress, is making her Broadway Debut with this production. Her acting skills are incredibly strong; Frank uses her face and body to express what she cannot directly say.

For hearing audience members who do not understand ASL, Katie Boeck plays both the Voice of Wendla and the guitar in the show. Although she is not as visible as Frank due to Arden and Stanton’s creative lighting vision, the emotion and innocence of Wendla definitely comes through in Boeck’s voice. Boeck is meant to seem like an older version of Wendla looking upon herself as the events in Spring Awakening transpire. Boeck certainly comes across as piece of Wendla’s mind, helping her to make decisions and see things within herself along with others.

Deaf actor Daniel N. Durant, seen as Matthew in Switched at Birth, plays the dark, twisted, and confused Moritz Stiefel very well, as does his voice (Alex Boniello). The physical and vocal attributes of both characters greatly assist the portrayal of Mortiz.

Additional deaf actors include Treshelle Edmond (Martha), Joshua Castille (Ernst), Russell Harvard (Adult Men), Marlee Matlin (Adult Women), Miles Barbee (Otto), and Amelia Hensley (Thea).

Additional hearing actors include Krysta Rodriguez (Ilse), Andy Mientus (Hänschen), Kathryn Gallagher (voice of Martha/guitar), Daniel David Stewart (voice of Ernst/piano), Patrick Page (Adult Men), Camryn Manheim (Adult Women), Alex Wyse (Georg), Sean Grandillo (voice of Otto/base), Ali Stroker (Anna), Alexandra Winter (Greta), and Lauren Luiz (Melitta).

Spring Awakening opened on Broadway on September 27, 2015 and closed on January 24, 2015 due to its extremely limited engagement. The production played at the Brooks Atkinson Theater.

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