The Awakening of Spring

The Awakening of Spring; A Tragedy of Childhood by Frank Wedekind , adapted by MVHS IB Theater class, directed by Kathleen Cannarozzi Harris will be presented by Advanced Drama on January 22, 23, & 24 at 7pm. The play forces the audience to see that children cannot be sheltered from life’s hardships and dangers. What may seem like a peaceful development is actually difficult, frightening, and dangerous. It takes place in 1892 in Germany and deals with a group of school children (age 14) just entering the age of puberty- imaginative and speculating about life, love, and sex. This tragic play, deals with education, shame, child abuse, and teen sex.
Character and cast information: Wendla, played by Courtney Mauss, who is sent to her grave by her loving but prudish mother, is an exquisite, lovable child. Melchior, played by Jason Marrs, the innocent father of Wendla’s unborn baby, is a gifted boy whose thirst for knowledge leads him to inquire into the riddle of life, and to share his observations with his school chums. He is a youth who, in a free and intelligent atmosphere, might have developed into an original thinker. That such a boy should be punished, only goes to prove the utter unfitness of our educators and parents. Moritz, played by Nic Parsons, Melchior’s friend, is driven to suicide because he cannot pass his examinations, thanks to the system of education which consists in cramming the mind with useless facts to the bursting point.
The play is not recommended for children under 13.
Tickets: seatyourself.biz/missionviejo. $10 for adults and $8 for students.
Poster creation: Nic Parsons