Spring Awakening bursts with movement and music in its tale of teenage self-discovery
B.C. director-choreographer Dawn Ewen fills the Tony Award-winning musical with explosive dance
Nicole Laurent.
Stephen Myers.
Renegade Arts Co presents Spring Awakening from May 25 to June 10 at The Shop Theatre (8877 Selkirk Street)
THE WAY CHOREOGRAPHER-DIRECTOR Dawn Ewen sees things, a good story can transform the world. That’s exactly what she loved about the Tony Award-winning Spring Awakening, a rock ’n’ roll coming-of-age musical that blew Broadway audiences away upon its 2006 premiere. From the moment the Inverness-born Kelowna-based artist first saw the work—which is based on the 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind with music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater—she knew she wanted to re-create it for local audiences.
“Good storytelling helps us grow into our future and remember our past at the same time,” Ewen shares with Stir. “Where would we be without great storytellers? To be able to see yourself in a character of a story, could give you the strength to accomplish almost anything. This world can be so isolating so to see a reflection of yourself or a part of you in a story could and has been life changing for countless people.
“I have always loved, loved, loved this show,” she adds. “It struck a chord for me the first time I heard it, and it has never left me. It’s also a show I have had a clear vision for from second one. To me that is something powerful. To hear a show once and it overwhelms you with thoughts, dreams, and feelings of how you would like to tell this story is a beautiful thing—and the world telling you this is in your future.”
The future is now, with Ewen helming The Renegade Arts Co’s Spring Awakening, which is about to have its Vancouver premiere. Sexuality, morality, and the trials and tribulations of teenage self-discovery course through the script set in 1891 Germany, the story brought to life by its electrifying score (which Entertainment Weekly called "the most gorgeous Broadway score this decade” when it opened for its three-year run), here with music direction by Shawn Henry and a strong focus on choreography.
Ewen, who has a long-standing love of theatre, has been dancing her whole life. After high school, she moved back to her home country of Scotland to perform with a ballet company, and, upon relocating to Vancouver, she began performing, teaching, and choreographing for various organizations, including Gateway Theatre, where she was a lead musical-theatre instructor. She returned to the Okanagan to be closer to family six years ago and now works as a director-choreographer all across the country.
“Because of my background and who I am as an artist, I would say we have really explored a great deal of movement in this piece,” Ewen says. “I like the idea of ‘If you can’t say it, you sing it; and if you can’t sing it, you dance.’
“It is a very small space—tickets will sell fast—so to fill the space with movement almost to the point of bursting feels in line with where these young people are in their journey,” she adds. “Pushing against the walls of convention and societal pressures until they explode out into the larger world was the element that always spoke so loudly to me from my first introduction to the piece.”
Dawn Ewen.
Renegade Arts Co has a been producing sold-out musical-theatre pieces in Vancouver for nearly a decade, with past shows including HAiR, Tommy, Rent, Rock of Ages, and Once. It was established as a nonprofit organization in 2012 as a vehicle to assume the assets of the insolvent Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Co., acquiring its incredible prop collection as well as the scene shop, studios, and other theatrical assets, with which it continues to serve the local community. The organization now calls Marpole home, where it has 2,250 square feet of dance, theatre, and recording studio space and The Shop Theatre venue.
With an ensemble cast of 13 local artists—many of them recent grads of local institutions such as CapU, Studio 58, and Vancouver Film School—Spring Awakening is a celebration of youth and rebellion. It stars Nicole Laurent as Wendla and Stephen Myers as Melchior, a teenage couple facing a world that condemns their love. The show’s two adult figures, played by Catherine Wilmot and Stuart Jensen, take on many other roles as well. “Sometimes it will make your head spin how good they are at switching between characters in the blink of an eye,” Ewen notes.
“I love that we have created a space for some beautifully talented artists to come together and tell a challenging story in a respectful and powerful way,” Ewen says. “Once you get past the fantastical, hyper-sexual, hyper-stylized world of the play, I hope people find a moment of catharsis. This musical does not pull away from difficult issues. The music gives voice to really complex subject matter. I hope it helps people process and gives them an outlet for whatever they may be feeling.
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