This interpretation of Frank Wedekind’s groundbreaking play raises the question: what on earth does rock music have to do with the sufferings of young people growing up in a time that seems so far removed from our contemporary world?

Adapting this play to a musical, particularly one of a rock concert style, is incredibly apt. This disjuncture between the experiences of the characters and the world of song create an incredible forum in which to illustrate the universality of the troubles of puberty and budding adolescence, the timelessness of the themes of the show, as well as give the characters room in which to share their emotional journeys, their doubts, their desires with the audience.

Song is a powerful means of communication that resonates with so many people on deeper levels than speech, and the music and lyrics of this show provide a great tool to highlight the complexities of its central themes. This adaptation magnifies this universalising effect even more, really drawing attention to how these issues can relate to contemporary society, just as much as they did in a more conservative, traditional time period.

Going through puberty, exploring physical relationships for the first time, and grappling with sexuality are all central experiences for the life of any modern teenager, and therefore Wedekind’s work is just as timeless as this musical adaptation suggests. And indeed, despite the idea that we live in a progressive, liberal society in which there is freedom of expression and toleration, taboos around sex and sexuality are still prominent in all corners of the globe today.

Access to sex education is so varied and arbitrary, and fallacies about things like pregnancy, STIs, and homosexuality continue to exist due to the lack of acceptance and, quite simply, the failure to give people the tools to understand it. Sex is still such a closeted subject, and the persistence of taboo has extreme consequences for many young people all over the world.

Keeping that in mind, the themes of Spring Awakening are essential to preserve and to continue to bring to the stage. This, among so many other reasons, is why I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to direct this show.

Spring Awakening is on at 7:45pm, Tue 2nd February 2016 - Sat 6th February 2016, at ADC Theatre