Recently made into a Broadway musical, the original 1890-1891 German play by Frank Wedekind receives a widely-heralded English translation by essayist and novelist Jonathan Franzen. The play traces the coming of age of a group of teenagers, as they deal with their parents, navigate the real world, and explore their sexuality. Sometimes tragic, sometimes bitingly funny and sarcastic, Franzen released the translation in 2007, more than 20 years after he had written it for $50 for Swarthmore College's theater department, dusting it off because he found the Broadway musical version "insipid" and "overpraised."

Frank Wedekind's original play was so shocking, it took 15 years to make it to the Berlin stage ... and was promptly banned. It opened in New York nine years later, got a court ruling to allow it to proceed after the Commissioner of Licenses claimed it was pornographic ... and lasted one show. And there is a lot about Wedekind's Spring Awakening that's still controversial.

This is partially because of the content: teen sex, masturbation, teen pregnancy, abortion, rape, homosexuality, teen suicide. While it has a biting humor, this is not light fare. It's just as tangled a web of emotions and choices as puberty. But what makes Spring Awakening really controversial is what it says about how we, as a society, treat our children. By sheltering them from the "harshness of the world" and trying to keep them "pure" and "innocent," are we just simply not preparing them for the real world? The concern in fin de siecle Germany rings just as true today.

Terry J. Long - who had joined the Mobtown Board last year - was slated to direct this show.  He was particularly excited about it and had finished much of the leg work: created the basic visual concepts of the show, gathered most of the crew, held auditions and cast the show, and even held the first read through.  He was extremely excited about the production and was looking forward to really getting started.  But on December 13, 2008, on a field trip to New York City, Terry suffered a major heart attack and passed away. 

One of Terry's many friends, Matthew J. Bowerman stepped in to finish direction of the piece.  Leading the  excellent cast of over 15 talented teenagers and 4 Baltimore theater veterans that Terry had assembled, working with scenic designer Brian Erickson-Long, and leaning heavily on Terry's original conception of the production, Bowerman brings Terry's vision to the stage. 

We dedicate this production to the memory of Terry Long - artist, mentor, colleague and friend.