"Spring Awakening:" How a 19th-Century German Play Rocks with Relevance Today

Wed, 07/05/2017 - 11:34am

When: July 10, 2017 at Downtown Library Multi-Purpose Room

Originally written as a 19th century German play, Spring Awakening is an eight-time Tony Award-winning rock musical that uses alternative rock and a folk-infused score to explore topics of adolescence, consent, sexuality, suicide, and the stress of school.

In anticipation of Ann Arbor in Concert's upcoming Spring Awakening performance, Craig VanKempen will discuss a history of the play and how the social issues it portrays continue to be important to the youth of today.

Craig VanKempen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in German and Theatre from the University of Michigan’s Residential College and a Masters in Social Work and Public Health from the U-M. He is a Social Worker and Health Educator at the Corner Health Center of Ypsilanti and works with adolescents in individual psychotherapy as well as in the Teen Peer Education Theatre Troupe.

This program is presented in partnership with Ann Arbor in Concert.