Wyandotte Theater Group Is 1st in Michigan to Secure Rights to Perform Controversial Musical

Wyandotte’s own is the first theater company in the state to score the rights to perform a controversial musical that’s swept the country by storm.

AKT will perform Spring Awakening as its spring 2012 musical.

"Spring Awakening is to this generation what RENT was 10 years ago,” AKT Artistic Director said. “This is the dream show."

Winner of eight Tony Awards, including "Best Musical," Spring Awakening celebrates the unforgettable journey from youth to adulthood with a power, poignancy and passion that you will never forget, Ferrante said.

The musical, which is set in Germany, takes its inspiration from one of literature's most controversial masterpieces. The work was so daring in its depiction of teenage self-discovery that it was banned from the stage and not performed in its complete form in English for nearly 100 years.

Adapted from Frank Wedekind's 1891 play about the trials, tears and exhilaration of the teen years, it has been hailed as the "Best Musical of the Year" by a number of publications, including The New York Times.

Ferrante said she’s wanted to perform the show for years, but never imagined it would be made available so soon after recently performing on Broadway and touring the country. The tour ended May 15. Amateur performance licenses began being available at midnight Tuesday.

“In the back of my mind, I would have killed to do the show, but I never thought it would be possible,” she said late Wednesday, about an hour after receiving word that she had been granted performance rights. “I am speechless. My heart is jumping out of my chest right now.”

Ferrante warns that the show is rated "R" for good reason.

“It’s very explicit and controversial, but the messages are extremely important,” she said.

Spring Awakening will be performed at the . Showtimes are 8 p.m. April 13-14, 20-21 and 27-28, and 2 p.m. April 15 and 22.

AKT began as an education summer workshop at in 2008. It now stages two professional productions a year, an educational summer musical, annual fundraisers and concerts, student productions and educational summer workshops.

“The AKT Theatre Project strives to create an artistic home, spark new ideas and bring affordable professional-quality theater to the Downriver area,” Ferrante said.

For more information, call 734-258-8370 or visit the company’s website.