Helping ‘Spring’ for a spot at Tonys
Nothing is free in this world. And nothing is free when it comes to the Tony Awards, either. Just ask the team behind the recent revival of “Spring Awakening.”
The annual awards show — Broadway’s biggest night — typically emphasizes the artistic achievements of the theater community. What is left unsaid — or rather, left as an open secret — is that the nominated musicals that perform on the telecast must pay their own way to appear onstage at the Beacon Theatre in New York.
“Spring Awakening” will be among those presenting musical excerpts, Tony organizers announced last week. The show, nominated for musical revival, originated in Los Angeles as a production from Deaf West Theatre and director Michael Arden.
Deaf West launched a Kickstarter campaign in May to help raise money for the Tonys. The L.A.-based company was looking to raise $200,000 for its spot on Sunday’s telecast on CBS, and the fundraising site said the company had indeed exceeded the $200,000 target.
“We just met our goal,” DJ Kurs, the artistic director of Deaf West, said in an email last week. “We’re so grateful to all of our patrons for their generosity and support.”
In a May news release, the company said the money raised would go toward supporting “the cost of rehearsing and performing on the 2016 Tony Awards.”
The cost of performing on the Tonys varies by production. Some shows have higher costs, which can be offset by deep corporate pockets and wealthy producers. In the case of “Spring Awakening,” the show closed in January, which means that producers have to go to the extra trouble of reuniting the cast for the one performance.
“Spring Awakening” is competing against “The Color Purple,” “Fiddler on the Roof ” and “She Loves Me” in the musical revival category.
The musical, performed in Deaf West’s signature mix of sign language and spoken English, also received nominations for director Arden and for lighting design.
The show opened in 2014 at Inner-City Arts in downtown Los Angeles before transferring last year to the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.
Buoyed by strong reviews and word of mouth, “Spring Awakening” opened on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in September and ran until late January.