Spring Awakening

Spring Awakening is the story of a group of German teenagers in the early 1890s as they discover sexuality and rebellion in a society that encourages formality and normality.

The overall design concept was inspired by old cathedrals and the production team’s experiences with organized religion. My concept for the costume design was rooted in the period, but incorporated elements of Catholic school uniforms and modern aesthetics like dark academia and dark cottage-core.

The parents and teachers existed in a world that was much closer to history. I wanted the adults to look intimidating and out of sync with the children.

Ilse is a character who has run away from an abusive home and is living in an artists’ colony. I heavily researched the Victorian Pre-Raphaelite movement. Her look, with her long hair and flowy fabrics, is inspired by that movement. Ilse was the only character to get an offstage costume change. I wanted to show her growth and used her second costume as a representation of the newness of spring. With her first look, I also wanted Ilse to channel the musicians of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Moritz was a challenge for me because I wanted to do justice to his story. How to represent the pressure he was under and the pressure he eventually succumbs to? He stayed in his school uniform until he was unjustly kicked out. For the scenes leading up to his death, I put him in the overcoat his father wore earlier in the show. The actor was consumed by the long black coat. This also added an element of emo-punk-rock to his look.

The coat represented the weight of expectations and failures for Moritz, but it also represented safety for his father. In the funeral scene, Herr Stiefel is without his coat, leaving him vulnerable to his grief.