Sourced from the press release:https://chancetheater.com

photo credit: Tim Huynh

ANAHEIM, CA – Chance Theater, Anaheim’s official resident theater company, is thrilled to announce its production of Spring Awakening, with book and lyrics by Steven Sater, music by Duncan Sheik, and original text by Frank Wedekind. Directed by Jocelyn A. Brown, Chance Associate Artistic Director, and featuring music direction by Robyn Manion, Chance Resident Music Director, and choreographed by Mo Goodfellow, this Tony Award-winning musical runs July 11 to August 10, 2025, at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center’s Cripe Stage, with previews beginning July 11. It’s 1891, and the grown-ups hold all the cards. Headstrong Melchior and naive Wendla stumble into each other’s arms, passionate and curious, while anxious Moritz struggles to live up to the stringent expectations of society. With only each other for guidance, this group of young people navigates the rocky path of adolescence, discovering their bodies, their minds, and themselves along the way. With its fusion of morality, sexuality, and rock and roll, Spring Awakening delivers a story that packs a powerful emotional punch.

This production marks a full-circle moment for director Jocelyn A. Brown, who helmed Chance Theater’s 2003 staging of Spring’s Awakening, the haunting Frank Wedekind play that inspired the musical. Over two decades later, Brown returns to the same story—now reimagined through Duncan Sheik’s indie rock score and Steven Sater’s poetic lyrics—to once again explore the raw, radiant pain and possibility of adolescence. With an eye for emotional truth andtheatrical daring, Brown leads a powerhouse creative team and a bold new cast in delivering a version of Spring Awakening that feels as urgent, beautiful, and necessary as ever.

This Orange County Regional Premiere is more than a long-awaited debut—it’s a lightning strike of outsider energy, poetic rebellion, and raw emotion. Spring Awakening wasn’t born on Broadway—it crashed into it. When Duncan Sheik, the alt-rock heartthrob behind the 1996 hit “Barely Breathing, ” teamed up with Steven Sater, a classically trained poet with a punk-rock soul, they didn’t just write a musical—they sparked a movement. Sheik’s lush, folk-rock sound and Sater’s emotionally raw lyrics shattered Broadway expectations and helped pave the way for contemporary musicals like Dear Evan Hansen and Hadestown. Together, they earned eight Tony Awards, a Grammy, and a devoted following who found themselves in the show’s aching vulnerability and explosive rebellion.

Director Jocelyn A. Brown shares her excitement about the production, stating: “I’m thrilled Orange County finally gets to experience Spring Awakening’s raw and poetic musical storytelling! This cautionary tale is as relevant as ever for today’s teenagers as they navigate the complexities of their emerging sexuality, academic pressures, and societal expectations. Through its electric and impassioned score—reminiscent of the best folk-infused alternative rock music of the ’90s—adults and current teens alike will relish the immersion into the dynamic internal world of adolescent fervor, confusion, angst, and hopes.”

The cast of Spring Awakening features Cordyon Melgoza (Chance Debut) as Melchior, Kayley Stallings (Chance Debut) as Wendla, Brody Tarrant Sitton (Chance Debut) as Moritz, Isabella Kaplan (Chance Debut) as Ilse, Emma Magbanua (Chance Debut) as Martha, Diego Huerta-Gutierrez (Chance Debut) as Ernst, Caiden Falstrup-Finney (Chance Debut) as Hanschen, Jack Thomas Aitken (Rent) as Georg, Linda Bard (Chance Debut) as Thea, Jaylen Baham (Ride The Cyclone) as Otto, Naya Ramsey-Clarke (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) as Anna, Erica Farnsworth (Tigers Be Still) as Adult Woman, and James Michael McHale (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) as Adult Man.

The talented creative team includes Mo Goodfellow (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) as Choreographer, Bradley Kaye (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) as Scenic Designer, Bradley Allen Lock (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) as Costume Designer, Jacqueline Malenke (Tick, Tick…Boom!) as Lighting Designer, Lia Weed (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) as Sound Designer, Nicole Schlitt (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) as Stage Manager, Sophie Hall Cripe (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) as Dramaturg, Martin Noyes (Gloria) as Fight Director, Jordyn Bieblas-Galvan (Such Small Hands) as Sound Engineer, Alyssa Kammerer

(Chance Debut) and Ryan Morgan (Chance Debut) as Assistant Stage Managers, Lindsay Brooks(Gloria) as Casting Director, Shinshin Yuder Tsai (Tick, Tick…BOOM!, Resident Artist) Associate Casting Director and Intimacy Coordinator, and Fae Crane (The Chinese Lady) as Casting Associate.