Diverse Cast for Musical tale of Youth, Rebellion & Growing Up Announced
The cast has been announced for the Victorian professional premiere of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening, which will play at Prahran’s Chapel off Chapel from May 18.
Spring Awakening is the Tony Award winning story of youth, rebellion, sexuality and mortality set to a beautiful contemporary rock and folk infused score that conveys teenage turmoil in unexpected and heartfelt ways.
The electrifying musical is set in Germany 1891, in a world where the adults hold all the cards and the youth struggle through the adversity of coming of age in a time when sexual education is nonexistent.
From an Open Call that attracted over 260 auditionees, the cast is lead by Jessie-Lou Yates (Dirty Dancing UK, Wicked) as the beautiful young Wendla, who explores the mysteries of her body and wonders aloud where babies come from. The brilliant and fearless young Melchior will be played by Ashley Roussety (Rent, Hair) who interrupts a mind-numbing Latin class to defend his friend Moritz, played by Brent Trotter (Next to Normal), a boy so traumatised by puberty he can’t concentrate on anything.
The other young girls in town will be played by Hannah McInerney, Luisa Scrofani, Grace Browne and Alice Batt. The teenage boys are played by Alex Thompson, Henry Brett, Nathan Fernandez, and Jordon Mahar. Rounding out the cast is Olivia Solomons as Adult Woman and Barry Mitchell as Adult Man; with Adam Canny and Gabriella Barbagallo as Ensemble.
“If we’re lucky, once in a generation an unexpected new musical comes along and changes everything…. A breakthrough musical of the highest order” – The Observer
StageArt has gathered a stellar creative team to bring this powerful and daring tale of teenage angst and self-discovery to life. Spring Awakening is directed by Robbie Carmellotti (The Color Purple, HAIR), who is also an Executive Producer alongside Katherine Armstrong. Caleb Garfinkel (The Color Purple) is Musical Director and renowned contemporary Choreographer Zoee Marsh is making her musical theatre debut.
“Spring Awakening transports us to a time and place which is almost unrecognisable to today’s society, yet remarkably the show’s contents still strike a resonating chord in all. You can’t help but get empathetically swept up into the fatal lives of these young people, who are just trying to understand the world they live in, the bodies they are home to and the urges they feel,” says Director Robbie Carmellotti.
Spring Awakening is a 2006 Broadway musical adaptation of the 1906 play by Frank Wedekind, with music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater. The original Broadway production won 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Direction, Book, Score and Featured Actor. The original cast also received a Grammy Award.
StageArt, led by Katherine Armstrong and Robbie Carmellotti, continues to produce groundbreaking musicals that are rarely seen on Australian stages. The company strives to cast its shows with diversity and equality by showcasing the extraordinary talent that exists locally.
