SEATTLE — “The base of it I would say is the ensemble and the tech team that's going for and the of the stars of the show which would be our peonies are hydrangeas and maybe the roses we decide to use those as well,” said Florist Jim Cook as he assembles an intricate floral step and repeat.
The Belfair florist is creating a floral performance – the perfect photo-op to get guests of The 5th Avenue Theatre into the spring spirit for their latest show - “Spring Awakening.”
“Mainly the reason I chose these colors is to represent what's happening on the stage,” Cook said. “Their final song is called 'Purple Summer' and we wanted to reflect that out to the lobby for the audience to come out and experience it and step into their own purple summer.”
The step and repeat is the first thing guests see before they are taken on a passionate and emotional journey. “Spring Awakening” is a rock musical based on an 1890’s play. It comes with a content advisory due to some of the powerful and thought-provoking subject matter.
“I'd say that all of the themes that we touched on in the show are very prevalent in today's society, so it's definitely a story that connects with our audiences and all of us in the show,” said actor Caitlin Sarwono.
Sarwono and Ricky Spaulding are the two leads of the show who play young lovers. Spaulding says the show is filled with important lessons about joy and pain, but he hopes one message in particular grows into a movement.
“This play encourages you to really listen to what young people are experiencing and to not deny their experiences but to uplift it. And this is such a young cast,” said Spaulding. “I feel like we're really able to carry that story.”
The majority of the actors in this show are very young and the cast is almost entirely homegrown. In fact, the roots of this production run deep, all the way back to our florist who is having a full circle moment.
“When I was 15 to 18 I did tons of musical theater and I actually did 5th Avenue Summer camp but I was probably one of the first students to do their 5th Avenue team workshop,” Cook said.
And while Cook eventually changed his direction from theater to floral design – he’s grateful to the 5th Avenue Theatre for giving him the space to combine his passions and gives them credit for enriching the arts
“It is really showing impact of what they're making into the artist community and only in theater and music but also in the floral industry and art spread wide,” Cook said.
"Spring Awakening" runs until June 30th at The 5th Avenue Theatre.
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