Everyman Theatre

We have now confirmed that the Clubnight Pitch for this production will be taking place on Wednesday 30 May 2012 in the Everyman Clubroom at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

Spring Awakening (by Frank Wedekind)

It was written in 1890-91 and is Wedekind’s first play although it did not receive its first performance until 1906 in Berlin. First English performance in New York, 1917 – one performance only, NYPD attempted to ban it on the grounds of its ‘pornographic nature’ (well, they should know.) First performance in England 1963, two nights only and heavily censored. If you want banned then this has been pretty well everywhere.

This is hardly surprising as it is a play which attacks the sexually-oppressive culture of fin-de-siecle Germany and offers a vivid dramatization of the erotic fantasies that it breeds. There is a marvellous American essay written to accompany the 1917 translation which praises its portrayal of the way the ‘most promising children are sacrificed to sexual ignorance’ and sexual abuse and targets ‘ the lack of appreciation on the part of teachers of the latent qualities and tendencies in the child.’ So what’s new?’

Everyman Theatre's production will be directed by Eric Hadley and is due to play at Chapter Arts Centre from 13-17 November 2012.