'Spring's Awakening' comes to ECC stage

"Spring's Awakening," by Frank Wedekind, will be performed at Elgin Community College's Visual and Performing Arts Center starting Friday. Performances will be held at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; April 25 and 26; May 2 and 3; and at 3 p.m. April 27 and May 4. All performances will be held at SecondSpace Theatre, on ECC's main campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.

Originally written in 1891, "Spring's Awakening" follows the adventures of Melchior, Moritz and Wendla as they struggle to understand the mysteries of their raging hormones, changing bodies and adult sexuality. Their parents and teachers, obsessed with making them respectable citizens, urge the teens to ignore their natural impulses and layer them with guilt.

Wedekind's original play served as the foundation and inspiration for the 2007 Tony Award-winning rock musical, "Spring Awakening." Both the tragedy, as well as the hope that follow, remain relevant today.

The production will be directed by Stephen Gray, Ph.D., associate professor of ECC theater. The cast includes Maureen Horan, Josh Radde, Evan Wales and Erik Enberg of Elgin; Dan Postlewaite, Angela Bend, Marissa Langlais and Terry Christiansen of St. Charles; Dan Chlebanowski and Tony Pellegrino of Streamwood; Lola Badmus and Matt Fox of Algonquin; Joann Brennan of East Dundee; and Jeannette Marquis of Huntley.

Tickets for "Spring's Awakening" are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Tickets for all performances in ECC's Arts Center are now available online at www.elgin/arts or at the ECC box office in the Arts Center. To purchase tickets by phone, call (847) 622-0300. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted. For more information about the ECC Arts Center's season, visit Web site www.elgin.edu/arts.