Guilty Ones Share Enthusiasm, Excitement of “Spring Awakening”

Posted by Gail M. Burns - February 2010

SPRING AWAKENING Opens on Mainstage at Proctors, February 16 – 21

Schenectady, NY – Preparing for an after-hours meeting on the upcoming eight-time Tony Award® winning musical SPRING AWAKENING, Proctors
Marketing Manager Sara Hill awaits the arrival of a gaggle of GUILTY
ONES. They are, she admits, her kind of people!

Proctors winter intern William Vanasdale of Saratoga Springs, who
attends Ithaca College, waits with her and will help mobilize the
GUILTY as will newest intern Marah Chabot from Bristol, CT, a student
at Siena College.

The GUILTY ONES evolved from a group of SPRING AWAKENING fans and promoters, who were so moved by the show’s content that they wanted to assume some responsibility for sharing its messages with others. As the show evolved from a little-noticed workshop at the La Jolla Playhouse in 1999 to a Broadway hit lauded as “an unexpected jolt of sudden genius” by New York Post critic Clive Barnes, the ranks of GUILTY ONES expanded to include all the cities on the show’s national tour.

From her perspective, Ms. Hill hopes to harness the GUILTY ONES’
collective enthusiasm and passion for what critics have hailed as the”
Best Musical of the Year” — in time to replicate that must see/must
experience passion among potential ticket buyers before the February
16 opening at Proctors.

She says that the GUILTY ONES reflect her professional proclivity for
grassroots, outside-the-box thinking and actionable “guerilla
marketing” to create excitement about entertainment events. She
specialized in non-traditional outreach as a member of the
groundbreaking and acclaimed Public Theatre in New York City under
founder Joseph Papp. Generating word of mouth buy-in and excitement for events became her stock in trade.

Within minutes, GUILTY ONES arrive to meet with Hill and others from
the Proctors marketing team. Several have traveled more than 100 miles to participate in the meeting. Most in the room attend Fulton
Montgomery Community College (FMCC) in Johnstown, NY. The fully
assembled ad hoc group includes Alyssa Wells, FMCC, Johnstown;
Jennifer Palmer, FMCC, Mayfield; Justin Newkirk, FMCC, Mayfield;
Justin Demaria, FMCC, Mayfield; Hannah Fettinger, Johnstown High
School, Johnstown; Caralivia Levanti, Pratt WMP, Utica/ Mayfield;
Allura Brown, SUNY Potsdam, Amsterdam; Alyssa Reed, FMCC, Mayfield; Marc Andrzejewski, Amsterdam; Daryl Hirschfeld, FMCC, Broadalbin; Riannon LaCross, FMCC, Broadalbin; Sarah Kaufman, SUNY New Paltz; and Debbie Smigen, Mayfield. Their buoyancy and enthusiasm mingle with the scent of warm pizza. They waste no time getting to the business that brought them together: SPRING AWAKENING.

No Good Deed Unrewarded

In exchange for committing to implement selected Deeds from a list of
assignments – which can range from disseminating email about the show, putting up a poster, wearing a SPRING AWAKENING tee shirt in public, or even writing a letter to their school newspaper — GUILTY ONES accumulate “Points” redeemable for an array of rewards that can run from the ability to purchase on-stage tickets for friends, autographed playbills or even a personal invitation to an exclusive meet-and-greet with the show’s cast. Involvement is as little or much as an individual wishes. Some GUILTY ONES have seen the show numerous times and to earn past points they have painted their car, made banners and recruited others to join the fan base.

The modus operandi is familiar to Hill but this gathering at Proctors
is punctuated by the uniqueness of each team member’s contributions. In general, GUILTY ONES coalesce at fun-focused, social events to
promote the show. Using social media — Twitter, facebook, You-Tube — and youthful high energy to create seemingly spontaneous events, the GUILTY ONES have cast their shadow far and wide with amazing results.

What’s in a Name?

The GUILTY ONES trace their moniker to the lyrics of a song at the
epicenter of the coming of age that is at the core of the play. Its
words echo a sentiment that has touched each of them differently but deeply, and compels them to share its power with others.

In the play, protagonists Melchior and Wendla meet unexpectedly one
afternoon in a private place in the woods. Soon, they find within
themselves a desire unlike anything either had ever experienced:

And now our bodies are the guilty ones –
Our touch
Will color hours
Night won’t breathe
Oh how we
Fall in silence from the sky

SPRING AWAKENING has stirred Broadway like no other musical in years. The play’s directness, depictions of sex and frank language can be a challenge for some, but its authenticity, spirit and ability to spark
seminal debate on difficult-to-broach topics are undeniable.

SPRING AWAKENING is an adaptation of the controversial 1891 German play of the same title by Frank Wedekind. The work was considered so daring in its time for its depiction of teenage self-discovery that it
was banned from the stage and not performed in English for nearly 100 years.

SPRING AWAKENING plays on the mainstage at Proctors from February 16 – 21. The show is part of the Key Private Bank Broadway series and is also sponsored by Silhouette Eye Studio.

For more information on SPRING AWAKENING, please contact Susan Fowler, Director, Marketing & Programming, 518-382-3884m x138; sfowler@proctors.org

For more information on GUILTY ONES, please contact Sara Hill,
Marketing Manager, 518-382-3884, x152; shill@proctors.org

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