PERFORMING arts students at Hereford College of Arts are currently in rehearsals for a new production, a Tony and Olivier award-winning musical, Spring Awakening, rarely performed in the UK.


“A lot of students join the course wanting to do musical theatre,” says Mia Gordon, who is producing the show. “This will be the first of our annual musicals, and we want them to have both a political and artistic integrity. We looked at several scripts, before deciding on Spring Awakening - what we loved about it is that it’s for a very young cast, so the students will be playing their own ages.”


A rock musical with music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Steven Sater, Spring Awakening is based on the controversial German play of the same name, written in 1891 by Frank Wedekind. Set in late-19th century Germany, it tells the story of teenagers discovering the inner and outer tumult of sexuality - “It has every single teenage issue in it,” says Mia.
 

The cast is drawn from every year of the performing arts course, and they are immersed in a five-week rehearsal period “just as they would be for a real job. The students are enjoying it immensely and they can see the whole arc of the show now.”
 

“Spring Awakening is a fantastic project for our students to work on, in terms of both educational and vocational experience,” said director Stephanie Garland. “Our Year One and Two Extended Diploma students are taking on the performance roles, and Level 2 Diploma students are undertaking crew and technical roles. This is to simulate a professional company; providing the students with an idea of what it would be like to work on a musical professionally.”
 

“Stephanie has created a unique look for the show,” says Mia. “A mix of modern and old, very industrial and a bit dystopian, with a set that’s all scaffolding and Astroturf, and costumes that are uniform, with one for the adults, another for the young people. “There is a lot of humour in it, too,” she adds. “And it’s done very sensitively with a lot hinted at.”
 

The production will feature a live band drawn from the college’s music students and staff - “One of our big strengths is that everyone who teaches is still a practising performer.”
 

The experience is proving invaluable to students: “they are getting a really good idea of how much hard work is invovlved in being a professional performer, and they’re getting a real taste of that, allowing them to make informed decisions about their futures.”
 

“What is important about doing it here,” adds assistant director Richard Gooch, “is the opportunity it gives students, many of whom live out in the sticks with few chances to perform.”
 

Spring Awakening runs at The Folly Arts Theatre from May 21 to May 24 at 1pm and 7pm every day. To book, call 01432 273359 or email enquiries@hca.ac.uk. Not suitable for under-14s.