A group of young performers on stage, with some playing instruments and others dancing or acting, in a theatrical scene with wooden stage setting and warm lighting.

Spring Awakenings

May 24, 2025-April 11, 2025
Lazy Susan Theatre Co.

In a world where curiosity is stifled and questions are met with silence, a group of teenagers finds themselves thrust into the chaos of adolescence without a guide. Melchior, an intellectual rebel; Wendla, an inquisitive girl; and Moritz, a boy burdened by academic pressures—grapple with their budding desires and the harsh realities of growing up in a society that refuses to provide answers.



Selected Press

“Spring Awakenings pushes the limits in the same way that I imagine Frank Wedekind would have hoped for when he was writing the play over 100 years ago.” Alli Doubek, Entertaining Chicago

“This cast is superb in making the audience see their hopes, desires and questions.” Alan Bresloff, Around the Town Chicago

“With the rise in illiberalism fueled by drastic governmental shifts, it’s beneficial to look at the harms we suffer when social repressiveness suppresses openness to talk about taboo subjects. And this show is just plain fun, as well.” Bill Esler, Buzz Center Stage

Written by Frank Wedekind
Translated by Francis J. Ziegler
Directed & Adapted by Matthew Masino

Assistant Directed by Nealie Tinlin
Fight & Intimacy Directed by Kira Nutter
Lighting & Sound Design by Amina Gilbert
Costume Design by Elly Burke
Scenic Design by Matthew Masino & Jon Yawn
Music Composition by Michael Van Bodegom Smith
Music Direction by Dominic Rincker
Stage Management by Sarah Schorle
Production Photography by Mollie Menuck

Featuring
Isabelle Grima as Wendla
Jake Griffith as Melchior
Bryce Lederer as Moritz
Pierce Julian Howard as Hänschen & others
Ryan Vu as Ernst & others
Nicholas Ford Kinney as Georg & others
Phoebe Westbrooks as Otto & others
Quinn Skelly as Rupert & others
Hannah Loessberg as Thea & others
Grace Trivax as Martha & others

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Two young actors on a stage with dark background, a tree branch and moon decoration, engaged in a theatrical scene. The boy on the left, dressed in a blazer, shirt, and shorts, looks serious. The girl on the right, with a bandana and a coat, is smili