Around AIS
Spring Awakening: Director’s Notes By Rob Warren, Head of the Arts Reprinted from the program for Spring Awakening, performed at AIS from April 23-25, 2015
Just over a year ago, several senior students walked into my office to ask if we could do Spring Awakening the Musical. Now typically I am usually very open to do more liberal-minded productions; however, even I knew this musical could be pushing it for AIS. So with all the care in the world I replied to them, “Perhaps AIS isn’t ready for this type of show.” What I was not ready for was the passionate onslaught of reasons why AIS should do this show, which the students fired back at me. One of their answers stood out to me the most, which was “Our high school needs to explore the issues in this musical. These are important issues and speaks to the daily struggles that we go through in growing up.” Just as teenagers in western cultures share many common experiences in school, all experience the secret in plain sight that is puberty. While students in communities with sex education curricula and support may find their path a little less treacherous as a result of their exposure to the challenges that come with changes to their bodies and feelings, any student would agree being a teen is still not easy. As most adults, remember, the affirmation that comes with knowing we are not alone in having taboo urges or thoughts ease the tension to a bearable level. The characters in Spring Awakening suffer from nearly complete ignorance of their bodies and have been told physical desire is evil. When teenagers have thoughts and feelings we have all had, each sees him or her self as alone in the struggle. By producing this musical, AIS hoped to acknowledge the struggles of our teenagers and helped them realize that they are not alone in their journey through adolescence. We hoped in presenting this cautionary tale, students understood they would not suffer the fate of the characters in the story. The theatre students involved in the production, as well as all the students who saw it, benefited from the acknowledgement that these feelings exist. Additionally, parents who attended with their teenagers saw an opportunity for discussion and were very thankful for the risk that AIS took in staging this production. At Atlanta International School, we believe that theatre is a fantastic medium for helping students to understand the world in which they live and helps them become ethical, thoughtful and compassionate people. Theatre is a safe environment in which to explore the complexities of life through engaging with complex characters in difficult circumstances. This musical would not be appropriate in many communities, but I am proud that at Atlanta International School we can make a difference in student’s lives by taking these risks. AIS Global Exchange / Summer 2015