On the night of November 15th, the seats of the Theresa Lang Theatre began to fill in a few minutes, while smoke started engulfing the air within the theater. An audience member confirmed that the smoke was actually coming from the stage. The best spot for enjoying plays at the Theresa Lang is now pronounced Seat No. 14 of Row C as it offers the occupied spectator a central view of the stage. 

MMC’s production of Spring Awakening lasted from November 14-17, there were five performances total during two different timings: 2 PM and 8 PM. 

Before the play commenced, actors took the stage—drawing borders over different squares with chalk. By 8:05 PM, the talkers behind me finally shushed, and the sound of their chalk marking the stage became the only voice. Then, silence, for half a minute, and the play officially commenced. 

Based on the play by Frank Wedekind, MMC’s take on Spring Awakening, directed and choreographed by Kyle Pleasant, depicts the various phases that adolescents go through while navigating different forms of intimacy. There were trigger warnings mentioned in the brochure concerning mature content. The climax of the play was an intimate scene between two characters quite unsettling as the matter of consent was in question. There were instances when the female character tried to push away the male character mid-scene, but whether it was out of fear or lack of consent was left to the audience for interpretation. 

Wood and hay were major elements of the set on stage. The center stage was flat on the surface with a couple of wooden chairs and the up stage had created an entrance to a wooden house with stacks of hay piled in the corner and pillars of old wood at each side. The costumes emanated country school life; with the female actors dressed in long white ruffle dresses and suspenders and male actors dressed in suits and trousers. Humor was a strong element throughout the play, gaining applause and laughter from the audience countless times.  

The actor of Martha, Lanes Miller, told The Monitor that, “This is the first mainstage I’ve been in. I’ve directed student projects before but I’ve never been in anything so this is really exciting. We opened yesterday and I definitely was feeling nervous then, but it went so well that I’m just feeling good. I play Martha and she is friends with most of the girls in the play and it is so fun because I’m friends with them all in real life too. The role itself is a bit darker but my real-life friendships kinda play into that on screen, that is true joy right there. I’m so grateful to be in the moment so when we all get off stage, we all jump in for a group hug and cheer for each other.”