May 13, 2014

SVSU students, staff play leading role in Saginaw play, ‘Spring Awakening’

'Spring Awakening,' a play in production in Saginaw, stars several SVSU students. In Broadway terms, some might call Pit and Balcony Community Theater’s “Spring Awakening” an “off-SVSU production.”

Nearly half of the play’s cast and production crew are affiliated with the university, including director Tommy Wedge, an adjunct instructor in SVSU’s theatre department.

The adaptation of the Tony Award-winning coming-of-age musical set in 1891 Germany kicked off its 2-weekend run May 9 in the Saginaw theatre, 805 N. Hamilton. The final weekend includes showings on Friday and Saturday, May 16-17, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, May 18, at 3 p.m.

“It’s going really well,” Wedge said of the production. “’Spring Awakening’ is a little bit of a controversial show that deals with a lot of adult themes, but we had an almost sold-out Friday night and a great talk-back session on Saturday night.”

Wedge said six SVSU students are among the 14 cast members and seven students — along with one alumna and an SVSU staff member — are on the 20-person production team.

SVSU student cast members are Brianne Dolney, a theatre major from Bay City; Dakotah J. Myers, a theatre major from Saginaw; Carly Peil, a communication major from Auburn; Randy Robinson, a theatre major from Saginaw; Kale Schafer, a health science major from Freeland; and Alice Vanston, a pre-nursing major from Saginaw.

SVSU students in the design crew are Taylor Ackerman, a theatre major from Montrose; Alexis Alexander, a theatre major from New Lothrop; J. Cullen Humphreys, a theatre major from Saginaw; Lucy Kalinowski, a theatre major from Grand Rapids; John Little, a theatre major from Saginaw; Blake Mazur, a theatre major from Saginaw; and Amanda Moths, a theatre major from Jenison.

Sara Taylor, a 2002 SVSU graduate, is the play’s music director; and Gerald Dennis, SVSU technical director, is the set designer.

General admission tickets for “Spring Awakening” are $22. Those with student IDs can pay $10 if they purchase tickets up to 15 minutes before the show starts.

For more information, visit Pit and Balcony's website at www.pitandbalconytheatre.com.