ISU's SPRING AWAKENING Opens Friday

If you're a fan of the Broadway show Spring Awakening, the one that set Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff and John Gallagher, Jr., on the road to stardom, you'll want to get tickets now to Illinois State University's production of this teen angst rock musical. Singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik wrote the music for the show, while Steven Sater did the book and lyrics. The 2006 Broadway production of Spring Awakening took home eight Tony Awards, including wins for its book and score, direction, choreography, orchestrations, lighting design, featured actor Gallagher, and the show itself, which was named Best Musical.

Third-year MFA director Matthew Scott Campbell directs the ISU production, with Pete Guither as Musical Director, with designers including Harrison Hohnholt (lighting), Jamie Jones (costumes), Kieran Pereira (sound), Mary Rose (hair and make-up), and Andrew Sierszyn (scenic design). The cast includes Joey Banks, Nina Ganet, Joshua Gouskos, Bethany Hart, Carlos Kmet, Colin Lawrence, Ali Lockenvitz, Gloria Petrelli, Gabriella Rivera, Mitchell Schaeflein, Nico Tangorra, Colin Trevino-Odell and Abby Vombrack, with Christina Duris, Anne Olson, Joshua Pennington and Leonn Summers in the ensemble.

This is how ISU is describing the show:

This landmark musical, based on Frank Wedekind's controversial 1891 play, is an electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality and rock & roll that is exhilarating audiences across the nation like no other musical in years. Join this group of late 19th century German students on their passage as they navigate teenage self-discovery and coming of age anxiety in a powerful celebration of youth and rebellion.

Spring Awakening opens September 27 with a 7:30 pm performance at the Illinois State University Center for the Performing Arts. Subsequent performances are scheduled for September 28 and 29, and October 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. For all the details, visit this Facebook page for the event. To order tickets, call 438-2535 for the ISU Center for the Performing Arts box office, visit the box office in person, or go to ticketmaster.com. Check out this page for more ticket how-to information.