Whether or not the events of Spring Awakening were personally experienced by Wedekind, many of the most startling implications of the play are supported by the historical record.

The plan emerged after the third scene and was compiled from my own personal experiences or the experiences of my class-mates.' However, Wedekind's diaries contain no information about Spring Awakening besides an infrequent note that someone had read it or suggested that he send it to such-and-such publisher.and in truth, not everything Wedekind wrote about his life proved to be reliable. Some evidence supports this view, for Wedekind said of Spring Awakening: 'I started to write without any sort of plan, merely aiming to set down whatever appealed to me.

Many supporters claim that the play is fundamentally autobiographical in nature. The play finally returned to America in 1958, where a new translation was performed by the University of Chicago Theatre.Įven today the play is considered controversial, though it is widely respected, and many feel a need to defend Wedekind's choices with a variety of strategies. After Wedekind's death and the end of WWII, the play was frequently produced in Germany. During the Nazi era, Wedekind's work was not actually banned, but since he did not advocate the views espoused by the Nazis, his plays were rarely produced. Unfortunately, the audience seemed to agree with the Commissioner, and the play closed after a single show. Almost immediately, Wedekind was able to secure an injunction from the Supreme Court that allowed the play to go on. The debut performance almost didn't take place because the New York City Commissioner of Licenses tried to shut it down, claiming that the play was pornographic in nature. The play was finally performed in English in 1917.

The first production in the United States took place in 1912, but since the play was in German it failed to attract widespread interest. He had it published at his own expense in 1891, but it was not performed until Wedekind started his own repertory company in 1906. Spring Awakening was Frank Wedekind's first play.

Spring Awakening by T.J. Brown