By: Jaydon Mangiaracina
Six plays. Four leads. Junior Chelsea Campbell strikes again in FSC Theatre Department’s “Spring Awakening.”
“Spring Awakening” is a play about teenagers discovering their adolescent sexuality and how to navigate it. They experience different tragedies in the play such as domestic violence, suicide and death due to a failed abortion. The play discusses problems in society that are still relevant today.
Campbell played the role of Wendla Bergman, a 14-year-old girl who was never taught proper education on sex. She blames her mother because she was given “no way to handle things.” She then realizes that her simple actions with a boy turned into a pregnancy.
“I think what drew me to this role was the curiosity aspect of Wendla. She’s a very young girl, she is only 14, but there’s something about her that yearns to know more about the world and nobody seems to tell her anything. So, what drew me to her was her ability, willingness and wanting to know about the adult aspects of life, even being as young as 14,” Campbell said.
Due to the show’s intensity, rehearsing for Wendla was mentally draining. After rehearsal, she would go back to her room and just stare at a wall. Campbell also tried to counterbalance the intensity of the show with a lot of fun.
“I remind myself while it’s intense and while it’s crazy, it’s an important statement to be heard and it’s important that I give this meaning justice. I think I just internalize how I’m feeling and go into it with more of a mind of wanting this to be heard and felt,” Campbell said.
This play has a lot of different emotions attached to it, so it could be difficult for Campell to get in character. The scene that was the most powerful to her was the scene at the end of act two where she sang the song “Whispering.”
“In my opinion, that’s her moment where she decides something for herself for the first time. She makes a statement by herself without hearing somebody else’s opinion or doing something for somebody else. It’s just this really crazy emotional roller coaster of her understanding what has happened to her, deciding to carry on, not crumble and not get small, but to actually stand stronger than what has happened to her,” Campbell said.
Despite the hurdles of performing in a play that tackles such controversial topics, Campbell’s representation of Wendla showcased her talents and abilities to display the complexities of a deeply emotional character. As she continues her journey in theater, Campbell’s passion and dedication to her roles influences her to leave a lasting impact on her audience.
