Matthew Harper (Moritz) – This marks Matthew’s fifth production with Zanesville Community Theatre, but will most certainly not be his last. Recently you may have seen Matthew in Singin’ in the Rain (Don Lockwood), Sweeny Todd (Anthony), and RENT (Roger). He is looking forward to making his directorial debut with ZCT’s next production, The Diary of Anne Frank.
He would like to thank you for coming to see Spring Awakening. The cast and crew have worked tirelessly to bring “the purple summer” to life. He is very proud of this show and hopes you enjoy it.
Matthew has learned a lot portraying Moritz. Children around the world face trials and tribulations; these obstacles can either build us up and make us stronger or cause us to crumble under pressure from society. Moritz is faced with nearly impossible obstacles to overcome… Or so he feels. This is Moritz’s story inasmuch as it is the story of so many children across the globe.
Matthew would like to thank all of his friends and family for their ongoing love and support.
He has been overjoyed being able to be a part of Spring Awakening and being a part of the ZCT family and cannot wait to be a part of shows in the future years. He has also enjoyed be able to work with not just great actors, but fantastic people! Blake would like to thank his teachers, friends and family who have supported him throughout his life and hopes you enjoy the performance.
Chelsey Luallen (Krysta) – This is Chelsey’s fourth production with ZCT. She is a 2012 graduate of Muskingum University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. In the summer, Chelsey serves as a counselor at CASS Camp , a K-12 Performing Arts camp in Zanesville, where she will mark her seventh year as a counselor this coming summer. She has been a restaurant server for nearly six years and a merchandise manager for Ohio-based bands for the past two years.
Past theatrical endeavors include Dracula (Vixen), Anything Goes (Company), The Pajama Game (Company), and A Christmas Carol (Mrs. Cractchit), pit orchestra for Bye Bye Birdie, spot lights for Arsenic and Old Lace, and Student Director for You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown while attending Zanesville High School. More recent past theatrical endeavors include being a four-year employee of the Muskingum University Theatre Department’s technical staff, ZCT’s production of Fiddler on the Roof (Fiddler), ZCT’s 2011 production of RENT (Mrs. Cohen/ Company), and reunited with RENT cast mates for ZCT’s 50th Anniversary Gala. Chelsey would like to thank all of her friends and family for their continued love and support!
Sit back and prepare yourself for an emotional ride. I hope you enjoy the show.I live in Philo with my partner Rob Cook, our son and two spoiled cats.
Production Staff
Eric Blake (Director) – Eric is currently employed as the Director of Operations for Shrivers Oxygen and Home Medical. He has had a love of the theatre for many years and he enjoys directing as well as being on stage. It was instilled in him at an early age the importance of working behind the scenes as well as acting. Eric currently serves on the Board of Directors at Zanesville Community Theatre. Eric’s directing credits include: August, Osage County, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, RENT, Doubt, J.B., Steel Magnolias, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and The Lion In Winter. On stage, Eric has recently appeared in The Crucible, Sweeney Todd, Death of A Salesman and Next Fall; just to name a few.Eric wishes to take this opportunity to thank his wife Janice for her 31 years of love and support and for helping him to make the time to be involved with theatre and the many other community activities they are involved with.
Eric hopes that you enjoy the show and thanks you for supporting Zanesville Community Theatre as they continue to strive for excellence against a backdrop of tradition.
Director’s notes
Welcome to Zanesville Community Theatre! I am so excited that you have chosen to join us for our production of Spring Awakening! Winner of 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Spring Awakening is a rock musical adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s 1891 expressionist play about the trials and tribulations, and the exhilaration of the teen years.
It’s Germany, 1891. The beautiful young Wendla explores her body and asks her mother where babies come from. Elsewhere, the brilliant and fearless young Melchior defends his buddy Moritz — a boy so traumatized by puberty he can’t concentrate on anything. One afternoon in the woods, Wendla and Melchior discover a desire unlike anything they’ve ever felt. Spring Awakening explores the confusion and desperation that ensue when the onrushing tide of hormones meets the ignorance of children. This show celebrates the unforgettable journey from youth to adulthood with a power, poignancy, and passion that you will never forget.
As you watch this show unfold and these actors bring the characters to life, I ask that you reflect on your own teen years and the trials and tribulations that made you the person you are today. We have all made choices, some good and some not so good, but we have survived the outcomes and became stronger people. I hope that we have not offended you with this production but made you stop and reflect upon the fact that each of us were teens and young adults at one time and the trials of those years are not really so different than those of today’s young adults
It is with a sincere heart that I say “Thank You” to the cast and crew of this show along with the Board of Directors of Zanesville Community Theatre for their support in bringing this amazing show to life at ZCT. I dedicate this show to all of those who made this possible.
“…there is love in heaven, all will be forgiven.”
Eric Blake, Director