The Enduring Relevance of “Spring Awakening”

Oberlin Music Theater marks its inaugural collaboration with Beck Center for the Arts in February with the musical Spring Awakening, bringing a powerful, timely coming-of-age story to the stage. “The stories that we’re telling in this are, unfortunately, incredibly relevant,” says director and professor of music theater Victoria Bussert.

Though set in 19th-century Germany, the musical confronts issues that are contemporary and heavy, such as sexuality, abuse, abortion, and suicide. It follows a group of repressed teenagers whose frustration with the unfairness of society ultimately boils over, most notably in the Act II ensemble number “Totally F---ed.” In that moment, the cast storms the stage, leaving chairs scattered behind them. 

Based on the play by Frank Wedekind, Spring Awakening features a book and lyrics by Steven Sater and a rock-influenced score by Duncan Sheik. Bussert leads the creative team alongside music director Matthew Webb and choreographer Lauren Marousek, both Oberlin faculty members.

Bussert has directed the show twice before, including at the height of the COVID pandemic, but says, “ This is easily the most intense because of what’s going on in society today.” For Bussert, a sobering moment of realization came when Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. “That very day, I said, ‘We need to do Spring Awakening again.’ We’re forgetting the result of women not having autonomy over their bodies.”

For the choreography, Marousek drew from the score’s alternative rock influences. “ So much of when they break into song is inner life coming out,” she says. “They move differently during the rock songs versus during the scenes as school kids.”

She added that rehearsing during Oberlin’s winter term—a four-week immersive, non-classroom learning period—has allowed the group to focus deeply with minimal distraction. “It’s been a true professional rehearsal process.”

Adding to the professionalism is the show’s venue, Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood, which hosts the 14-performance run. “ It’s really important in students’ training that not all of their experiences be on campus,” Bussert says. Having the actors work with a prestigious theater “ helps bridge that gap between being a college student and entering the industry.”

Beck Center also helped bring in set designer and lighting designer Trad Burns, whose contribution Marousek describes as “epic.” Bussert agrees. “He went full-fledged German expressionism, creating a shattered world.”

The impressive central staircase is flanked by two lower staircases with platforms on the side. These spaces are home base for Anjanette Hall and Matthew Wright, the pair of actors and Oberlin faculty who portray all the adult characters in the show. 

Before audiences come to see it for themselves, they should know that Spring Awakening “is not going to be for everybody,” Bussert says. “It’s an intense piece of theater” — one with a difficult, but important message.

“One of the things I think is important to discuss with the students about our art form is its very wide audience reach,” she adds. “It is our duty, especially at Oberlin, to produce pieces that will inspire curiosity, conversation, and thought.”