Jane Park, Contributing Photographer

In a corner off stage, two actors rehearse their parts around a piano keyboard, casually marking out their choreography. Next to them, divided by a black curtain, is a trio of actors chatting about the Kardashians while setting up their prop table. This mood of levity may not suggest that showtime is in a mere few days. But when the lights finally dim, the production crew and cast of “Spring Awakening” show that they are no longer playing around. 

“Spring Awakening” — a 2006 Broadway musical based on a 1891 German play — follows teenagers’ rebellious exploration of their sexuality in the face of cultural stigma. Though most Yale theater productions are initially spearheaded by directors, the production of “Spring Awakening” was proposed by the two lead actors, Jordi Bertrán Ramírez ‘24 and Lauren Marut ‘25. 

The production mirrors the ideas of rebellion and “changing the status-quo” that are central to the musical, according to Ramírez, who plays Melchior Gabor. 

“​​When I came to Yale in the fall of 2019, I quickly realized that there was a very particular siphoning off of roles in theater: the world of actors and the world of the production team,” Ramírez said. “There were few opportunities for collaboration across those very different groups at a time. When I was a first year, it was pretty much you auditioned for whatever was being put up by other people. And if you were lucky, you got cast. And if you weren’t, then you didn’t.”

Ramírez elaborated that having actors spearhead the production process acknowledges the needs and “dream shows” of actors in an unconventional way.

In addition to breaking tradition in the pre-production stage, the cast brings historically excluded voices to center-stage of musical theater, which Ramírez called “one of the hardest forms of theater to bring diversity” to. 

“It feels so heartwarming that people who the story wasn’t written for can take that narrative and make it their own in a way that feels so fresh and honest,” Ramírez said. “In speaking for myself and fellow actor [Isabella Walther-Meade ’25], who’s also Latina, there are such few opportunities for Latin American theater-makers.  And so it feels really exciting that we could bring together this ragtag group of extremely talented actors from all different realms of theater into one space to celebrate ourselves and our identities and our voices in a show that is so explicitly about finding your own voice in a world of censorship.” 

In light of its dark-content, the team grappled with how to maintain the gravity of certain events while being careful not to reproduce violence to its audiences. These efforts ranged from having cast conversations to working with professional intimacy choreographers. According to Ramírez and White, the intimacy of the cast, as well as professional resources, helped cast members better approach the show’s sensitive content. 

“It’s a tough balance to figure out how to tell a story that is tragic, and has elements of pain and suffering, without traumatizing members of the cast members and the audience,” Ramírez said. “ It has been the goal of this production, on my end, to make sure that we can find light in the darkest moments of the show.”

An important facet of this musical-theater production was finding musicians to play live music. According to Isaac Yu ’24, who led the musical direction of the show, recruiting instrumentalists was an important part in bringing the show together. Yu is a former managing editor of the News. 

“It’s very much a rock musical, so it’s really important that we have a full band,” Yu said. “We recruited a lot of the band at the very last minute, but I’m really glad it came together. At first we were thinking about a pared-down instrumentation because there was a time shortage. But for this musical, you need to fill out the sound, and I’m glad we were able to get strings because they provide color and life to the music.”

Even in face of various challenges, the cast’s passion and flexibility have proven to be one of the show’s greatest strengths.

According to Ramírez, undertaking this meaningful project was only possible due to the strong connections between castmates and the production team.

“The commitment that these actors have to this production is immense, Ramírez said. “What I love most about this team is that we’re so flexible and willing to change things and drop them out. Things are constantly shifting and this is the most flexible group of people that I’ve ever met. They are so utterly talented. But your talent is worthless if you’re not kind. And these are the kindest people I’ve ever worked with.”

With its Broadway debut in 2006, “Spring Awakening” has had more than 800 performances and multiple international productions.