Frank Wedekind’s Spring Awakening is a foundational work of modern theatre, written in 1890–91 but not premiered until 1906 due to its controversial subject matter. Flinders Drama Centre’s current production uses a muscular new translation by Drama Centre academic Chris Hay, whose interest in German Modernism and contemporary staging practices makes him an apt match for the material. From Hay’s translation, director Christian Hadgis leads a confident ensemble of 18 second- and third-year actors, alongside first-years who have not yet begun classes, in a production that leans into the play’s enduring ability to disturb, provoke and move.

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Design and staging elements are executed with notable deliberation. Set, costumes, lighting, music, ambient sound and live instruments are all purposeful, never decorative, evoking both period and psychological space. The decision to leave select elements onstage for later use, such as items left behind by characters add a sense of continuity and consequence, suggesting that actions and objects alike leave residues that cannot easily be erased. This thoughtfulness extends to the cast’s exits and entrances: performers do not rush offstage but instead honour the rhythm of each scene, retreating slowly into the darkness upstage before disappearing into the wings, reinforcing the production’s measured, considered tone.

The performance attended concluded with a Q&A session for audience members and visiting Norwood Morialta High School students, offering valuable insight into the production’s development, the students’ collaborative processes, and practical advice for those aspiring to enter the Drama course in future. This educational component usefully extended the life of the performance.

Spring Awakening remains confronting more than a century after it was written, confronting topics including rape, child abuse, suicide and abortion that continue to resonate and unsettle. This production meets that challenge head-on, and prospective audience members should be aware of these themes and take care if they are sensitive to such material.