Choreographer Discusses Female Desire in Spring Awakening Off-Broadway Revival

“I have gotten some random emails from people saying, ‘Don’t f–k it up,’ ” Celia Rowlson-Hall says with a laugh. The choreographer has worked across fashion, film (The Testament of Ann Lee, The Drama) and music videos (David Byrne, Alicia Keys), and she handles choreography for the off-Broadway production of the musical Spring Awakening, which starts previews Nov. 27 before opening Dec. 17.

Spring Awakening is based on a late-19th-century play about German teens facing sex, academic pressure, abuse and suicide. Co-written by Steven Sater and the late Duncan Sheik, the Tony Award-winning folk-rock score and youthful cast featuring future stars Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff revolutionized Broadway 20 years ago. Directed by Tony winner Danya Taymor (The Outsiders), the revival features a cast of new names and has already extended its run through April 4, 2027. This production follows Sheik’s death in September from cardiac arrest at 56, and marks one of two examples of his work staging before the end of the year alongside his new off-Broadway musical, Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen, which adapts a Japanese manga series.

“The one thing that is not lost on me is the incredible impact that this show had 20 years ago and continues to,” says Rowlson-Hall, who recently wrapped choreographing Please, an A24 movie directed by Halina Reijn featuring the film acting debut of Gracie Abrams. “I can’t tell you how many friends my age say, “This is the show that changed my life.’ ”

Had you seen the original Broadway production before signing on for this one?

I couldn’t afford to go because I was fresh out of college, but I remember the buzz. When [Danya and I] met, I was like, “I confess, I didn’t see [the original],” and she said, “Neither did I.” We decided to use that as understanding what we’re stepping into but also that we’re going to bring our own lens to it.

What are you focusing on through the movement?

A big thing is representing the women and their bodies and their physicality in a very empowered way. Making sure the female desire is very felt. As I’ve been observing teens over these past few months, I think there’s this incredible understanding and force inside the body that actually gets a little lost as you become an adult. They’re in their bodies in a really self-assured way, even if their minds are doing something really different, and that’s a really exciting juxtaposition.

There was a huge open call for this production. What were the auditions like?

We had people come in and sing pop and rock songs, and it was a lot of Olivia Rodrigo, Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile — a lot of Brandi Carlile actually sung by men!

Was it intentional to avoid casting established stars?

It was exciting [to find] a cast that weren’t household names — I think that’s following the spirit of the show 20 years ago. In storytelling, if you don’t have associations with that face in front of you, you get to put a lot of your own story onto it.

A version of this story appears in the Oct. 3, 2026, issue of Billboard.