Topic: College of Fine Arts
September 13, 2012
An eight-time Tony Award winner comes to Ball State as "Spring Awakening" opens at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 on the University Theatre stage.
Teenage angst and drama will take center stage when Ball State University presents its portrayal of the Tony Award-winning musical "Spring Awakening" later this month. The show opens on the University Theatre stage at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27. Additional performances are scheduled at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28-29 and Oct. 2-6, with a matinee scheduled at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 30.
"This musical is already a favorite of many of our students," said Jennifer Blackmer, associate professor of theater and director of the production. "The story it tells is really their story, a story of young people on the verge of adulthood, and that's something all college students can appreciate and understand."
The winner of eight Tony Awards, "Spring Awakening" is a Broadway musical based on a controversial German play of the same name. It follows the lives of teens in late 19th-century Germany and is a bittersweet tale confronting some of the darkest issues faced by adolescents of yesterday and today. Ball State students were cast for the show during the spring and have been rehearsing daily for hours as they prepare for opening night, Blackmer said.
Deemed a rock musical, "Spring Awakening" features music by artist Duncan Sheik. In contrast to the setting of the play, its songs are contemporary and pull from the sound of mainstream commercial music, according to Michael Elliott, assistant professor and musical director.
Tickets for the performance cost $16 for the general public, $14 for faculty and staff, $12 for senior citizens and $11 for students. They are available from the University Theatre Box Office, open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact the box office at 765-285-8749 or visit www.bsu.edu/theatre for more information.
"Spring Awakening" contains adult language and themes and is intended only for mature audiences.
By Chanel Richards