During a guest lecture for a class I was teaching last school year, Sab Gregorio-Jose, newly-minted artistic director for the Sandbox Collective, asked everyone which of the upcoming shows in the first quarter of 2026 was everyone most excited to watch. It was quite a list too. While I was excited to see all of them, Spring Awakening stood out for me for a number of reasons. For starters, I had never seen it before, and knew very little about the show outside of then relative unknowns Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele being in the original Broadway cast, and its basic storyline. That said, I intentionally refrained from knowing more, wanting to go in and seeing it with fresh eyes. By curtain call, I was glad I did, because this was a class act, pun intended, of a show. The high-energy, hard-hitting, yet deeply thoughtful, kind of theater that we need more of on our stages.  

From the moment you walk into the lobby of Proscenium’s Blackbox Theater, that thoughtfulness carries through. The photo corners outside offer initial insight into the show’s compelling message. Inside the theater, the low stage has a shriveled up tree trunk hanging from above on one side, and an empty chair in the middle. Ensconced inside a blackbox theater, the air feels heavy and the mood is somber. As you sit, there is a distinct mindset shift, prepping you for the moment the lights go up. This was a show you take in fully present.  

Perhaps what sets this Sandbox Collective’s production of Spring Awakening is that they knew the kind of story they wanted to tell. There is a singularity of vision that runs through the entire show, that both Jose and, more so, director Andrei Nikolai Pamintuan made sure crystal clear at every step. There is an intentionality across all the little details, and it is one that is effectively communicated to the rest of the creative team.

Let’s break it down. Wika Nadera’s concrete set is relatively sparse, save for a massive slab that comes down mid-show and becoming a focal point for the musical’s most intense scenes. Bathed in light and shadows by D Cortezano, you could almost feel its immensity and weight. Raven Ong traverses the same narrative in his costume design. The adults are dressed to reflect the stringent and repressive nature of the times, while he hints at the levity of youth through color and pattern for the younger cast. Sitting so close to the stage, you would be hard-pressed to miss how well-tailored those costumes were too.