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Overview
Synopsis
A social and cultural argument written before its time, Spring Awakening: A Children’s Tragedy is a sharp indictment of a repressive society that keeps its children in ignorance about puberty, sex, and sexuality. The plot follows three young people in a provincial German village in the 1890s: Wendla Bergmann, a young woman curious about where babies come from and why; Melchior Gabor, a rebellious intellectual with abundant knowledge but little emotional maturity; and Moritz Stiefel, a struggling student anxious to understand his developing body as he searches for success in school. As these three young people seek awareness, their worlds crumble around them through repression by the adults in their lives. A tragedy of rape, abuse, and suicide, Frank Wedekind’s Spring Awakening: A Children’s Tragedy continues to amaze and impact audiences over a century after its first performance.
Show Information
- Book
- Frank Wedekind
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Mature Audiences (M)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1906
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Period, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- Germany, 1890s
- Cast Size
- large
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Large Cast, Mature Audiences, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Early Teen, Adult, Mature Adult, Late Teen, Young Adult, Elderly Characters
Context
Frank Wedekind’s most popular play, Spring Awakening: A Children’s Tragedy was written during 1890-1891. Considered by many to be a foundational text in modern theatre, its episodic style and controversial subject matter inspired Bertolt Brecht and the formation of his Epic Theatre. Other writers and philosophers of the time praised its uncensored portrayal of adolescence and sexuality. But it was for these same reasons that Spring Awakening: A Children’s Tragedy did not have its first
to read the context for Spring Awakening: A Children's Tragedy and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
The play opens with young Wendla Bergmann watching herself in the mirror and frustrated with the long length of her new dress. Her mother scolds her, telling Wendla that she is too old for childish dresses as she is now fourteen. Wendla taunts Frau Bergmann, saying that perhaps she will not grow up at all. Her mother gives in, and tells Wendla that she may wear her short dress for one more season.
The next scene finds the schoolboys along the street as the day fades into dusk. The boys –
to read the plot for Spring Awakening: A Children's Tragedy and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
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Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
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Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Cindi Calhoun
Theatre teacher, director, writer, and seamstress