WHAT IS AWAKENING?

HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT

COVID was hard on all of us, but I couldn't imagine living through it during the most pivotal years of high school, when the culture teaches you to look forward to a very specific set of milestones: first experiences with sex and intimacy, prom, homecoming, going to college, breaking away from home for the first time. Every high school movie is built around those iconic moments. I wondered what it was like to have all of that pulled out from under you. No film has ever tried to answer the question: what was Covid like for the teens who lived it? That’s what motivated me to start this project.

In order to create the most authentic script, I set out to find a group of young performers who wanted to make this project together. Young performers who could draw on their own personal experiences.

PROCESS

I worked with a casting director in Minneapolis who mostly works in theater. We reached out to local universities, posted on Minnesota casting boards, and I went out flyering in South Minneapolis and a few other neighborhoods. We kept having to add audition slots because so many people wanted to be involved. I ended up casting eleven actors, ages eighteen to twenty five, from a range of backgrounds, most of whom had lived through COVID as teenagers in the Minneapolis suburbs.

The first thing we did as a group was read Spring Awakening together, the original play, not the musical. It's from the 1800s, but it's still one of the most honest things I've ever read about what it means to be a teenager, and it covers a surprising amount of ground. From there we started talking about what it was actually like to grow up during COVID, and people were vulnerable from the very first conversation. It became clear fast that no one had ever asked them this. These are young adults now, but no one had sat them down and asked what that time was really like. I was floored by the vulnerability, the hunger, to get their truths out there.

Centered on a group of suburban high school students, AWAKENING is about the first three months of the Covid Shutdown.

The script was created over the summer of 2026 in collaboration with a group of young performers who were in high school in 2020. Those performers will also be playing versions of themselves in the final film. The film is written and will be directed by Award-Winning Minneapolis based filmmaker Anna Kerrigan.

Inspired by their stories, we started experimenting with different scenarios and characters in search of a number of arcs that could carry a movie. I began mixing and matching performers in improvisational rehearsals until I landed on clusters of performers who made sense together. Then we refined those characters, those arcs, with more improvs. 

All rehearsals were recorded and transcribed and I worked off of those transcriptions in order to create the script. The script serves more as a general structure for the film, as we will improvise some of the scenes once we’re on set in order to have the most organic performances possible.

THE BURKE FAMILY

The Burke Family includes three kids, and a single father, Adam, a veteran officer for the Minneapolis Police Department. 

Andrew, the eldest kid as well as the high school mascot. He thinks of himself as an athlete but spends his days in a goofy costume, constantly angling to get Willow, the school paper's sports writer, to do a feature on him. He wants to be seen. His father is embarrassed by the fact that his son is a mascot, and Andrew both resists, and secretly wants his father to accept him. Why is his father so worried about his future when he’s secured a scholarship at the U? Should he be worried too? 

Grace, the middle child, a devoutly Christian over-achiever and the surrogate mother of her family since her mom’s passing many years ago. She co-runs Faith Club with her friend Nathan and is one of the co-editors of the Oak Ridge High Paper. Grace holds the whole family together, and over the course of the film she has to reckon with an internalized belief, inherited from the evangelical world she grew up in, that she isn't allowed to lead, even though she plainly already is. That gets harder to sustain as lockdown, then the murder of George Floyd, divides her family.

Jackson, the youngest Burke, is in a secret relationship with Lily, a Laosian-Chinese American gymnast who wants to keep their relationship a secret. Right before the shutdown, they start a physical relationship, and once quarantine hits they arrange to meet up and lose their virginity to each other. Immediately after, Lily shuts down and stops talking to him. Something clearly traumatic is happening with her, and neither Jackson nor the audience finds out what until she works through it over the course of the film. 

lily

Lily, a Laosian-Chinese American gymnast, is a competitive perfectionist who’s wildly hard on herself. Her father doesn’t help matters, he records Lily at every meet on his camcorder and then dissects her performance with her at the dinner table. Right before the shutdown, Lily and Jackson start a physical relationship. Lily wants to keep this relationship hidden because her parents wouldn’t approve. Once quarantine hits, their longing for each other proves torturous and they arrange to meet up and lose their virginity to each other. Immediately after, Lily shuts down and stops talking to Jackson and it isn’t clear why. Something clearly traumatic has happened and neither Jackson nor the audience finds out what until she works through it over the course of the film.

WILLOW AND THE SCHOOL PAPER

The school paper, which goes virtual once lockdown hits, is run by three co-editors: Grace, Karl and Willow. They get along well. Karl wants to run harder-hitting stories from the start, but the others are more cautious since everything has to clear the school administration first. They keep the paper going remotely, awkwardly but steadily.

Willow, who covers sports and plans on doing so professionally has a chummy relationship with a lot of the athletes. After George Floyd is murdered, a group chat with the hockey team turns openly racist and Willow, who is black, finds herself to be the target. Andrew, Grace's brother, doesn't lead the pile-on but doesn't stop it either. Willow stands up for herself in the moment, but the experience serves as a pivotal moment, where she realizes for the first time that many people see her as less than, other. She brings Andrew’s behavior to Grace, who admits her brother was wrong but also makes excuses for him. Willow quits the paper and starts handling things on her own terms, resulting in Andrew losing his college scholarship. 

Alex Robinson/ Andrew

…but for kids in high school it changed everything.

STORYLINES

The film follows multiple interlocking storylines, structurally not unlike Love Actually (we've been jokingly calling it "COVID Actually" in the room). It's a high school movie turned on its head: it opens with these kids thinking they're in Fast Times at Ridgemont High or Dazed and Confused, one of those classic ensemble teen movies, before the pandemic pulls the rug out from under them. Nobody takes it seriously until it's completely upended their lives, and they’re stuck at home having to navigate family and other issues, but typical to teenagers and unique to this moment..

NATHAN

THE HOUSE GUEST

Zoe and Rory are fraternal twins, Irish, both on stage crew for the school theater program. Zoe is close with Jada, who has an obvious crush on her that Zoe is oblivious to. Zoe carries a lot of unprocessed anger, much of it aimed at her brother. Right before the shutdown, Rory had tried to find some distance from his emotionally unregulated sister. He was getting closer to a few female friends and quit stage crew days before the high schoolers were sent home. Then he finds himself locked at home with his sister, who is furious with him for abandoning her backstage (even though the show goes on to be canceled).

Their father, Dayton, is working class, warm, smokes too much, and lives hard. Early in COVID he develops a cough he ignores and keeps working through, until it gets bad enough to land him in the hospital. Their mother quarantines separately at a hotel, and the twins are sent to live in the basement of family friends. There they re-meet Harry, the friends' son: neurodivergent-coded, plays video games constantly, who says exactly what he thinks with no filter. Rory looks down on him at first, but the two grow close over shared games, and Will's bluntness ends up cracking open an honesty between them that neither expected.

Angelina Vu/ Lily

My name is Angelina and I’m a BFA Acting student at the University of Minnesota from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. I am a first generation Asian American and the daughter of two Southeast Asian refugees. I am really passionate about volunteering and uplifting underserved communities. In high school, I was a peer mentor for refugee and immigrant youth, and I helped lead a class that taught life and social skills to students with developmental disabilities through acting and creative writing. 

My background in performance started in gymnastics, piano, composing, and dance but has expanded to include singing, acting, and writing. I started acting in middle school and have loved it ever since. My love for acting is continuing to grow as I study with the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. 

Emily Christiansen/ grace

I’ve always been fascinated by people. I love asking questions, listening for hours to someone’s story, and making a group of people laugh. My faith in Jesus has given me a desire to be an “illuminator,” someone who makes the people around them feel seen, valued, and known. I want to encourage people to recognize what makes them unique and to see themselves the way God sees them.

In high school, I felt like I was living a double life. I played soccer, was friends with the popular athletes at my school, and spent most of my weekends partying with them. But my Junior year, I discovered theater and fell in love with the people and community I found there. The theater kids let me be weird. They let me take up space. Eventually, I realized I felt much more at home with them than I did with my other friends, who were more comfortable with the dimmer version of me. 

Since then, acting has become a place where I can be fully myself while helping tell stories that encourage others to do the same. I’ve had the opportunity to play Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors at Two Rivers High School and Elle Woods in Legally Blonde the Musical at St. Matthew’s Community Theater. Whether I’m onstage, asking someone a million questions, making people laugh, or simply sitting and listening, I want people to walk away feeling a little more connected to who they are.

Moses ekel/ nathan

My name is Moses Ekel. I’m an Indonesian-American actor, singer, and songwriter based in the Twin Cities, and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to join this cast and team in developing our devised feature film. Throughout this process, I’ve had the opportunity to look back on a crucial turning point in my life. Revisiting the pandemic meant revisiting a version of myself that needed deeper reflection. At the time, as a young student pursuing my dream of becoming an actor in the middle of a global crisis, stepping into adulthood felt almost impossible. I found myself at a low point I didn’t believe I could bounce back from. Ultimately, pursuing my B.F.A. during COVID-19 led to an acting hiatus. One that profoundly shaped who I am today.

I became a performer because I find joy in telling human stories and expressing raw creative vulnerability, and because I want to show fellow first-generation Asian Americans that if they put their heart and mind to it, they can truly be whoever they want in this life. Outside the theater, I write and perform as local alternative indie/R&B artist MUSA to do exactly that. Over the years, songwriting has taught me to embrace every emotion that comes with life, and to use those experiences to become the most genuine artist/creative I can be. My latest single, “Wasabi,” and debut EP, “Beauty Sinner”, are available on all major streaming platforms.

After a few years of self-exploration and healing, I decided to return to acting. I was most recently seen on stage in Minneapolis’s inaugural MISCAST, and I’ve had the honor of working with incredible local companies including Theater Latté Da (The NEXT Festival: OKUNI), Theater Mu (Stop Kiss), History Theatre (Secret Warriors), Playwrights' Center (Stupid Little Fire, Jar of Fat, A Lobby of Slutteries), and The Art of Reconciliation (Little Shop of Horrors, Jane Eyre). Up next, I’ll be making my Chanhassen Dinner Theatres debut as Crutchie in Newsies.

IG: @mosesekel | Music IG: @themusaofficial

Shinaana Secody/ Jada

Thor Aasen/ Jackson

My name is Thor Aasen and I first started acting about two years ago. It began with the school play, which was completely out of my zone as I was a wrestler in high school. I qualified for state twice and dedicated most of my time to it. Growing up I've been around martial arts and have trained it for almost my whole life, which has given me a second-to-none work ethic. The martial arts include Jiu-Jitsu, Kickboxing, Wrestling, etc... Being around combat sports, I never pictured myself going into something more artsy, yet I seemed to have a knack for it. Since middle school, I've created dumb skits and short films all from my iPhone and did every little aspect, from playing the lead role, even though I knew nothing about acting, to editing, scoring, and uploading to my YouTube channel. I found being in two school plays was pretty fun and decided to do the school talent show, which I won (I did the Napoleon Dynamite dance). From there I decided to be an actor. I love to do exciting things, like ride rollercoasters, go cliff jumping, and other things of that nature. I went skydiving for my 18th birthday and plan on doing it again, eventually to get my Class A license.

ANNA KERRIGAN/ WRITER DIRECTOR

Nathan is Indonesian American and embarrassed by his immigrant family. His brother teases him relentlessly about how he likes to be the only Asian, about his “white girlfriend” Grace, who he considers to be more of a sister. When quarantine is announced, Grace invites him to stay with her family, which at first feels like a fantasy: a big house, takeout every night. But he starts to see how dysfunctional the family actually is, especially Adam, a father who is clearly unhappy and boxed in by his own toxic masculinity, and Nathan ends up missing his own family more than he expected to.

Zoe, Rory and harry

THE TEAM

Connor Smith/ Rory

I’m originally from Apple Valley, Minnesota. Growing up I was drawn to theatre but I thought I would never be able to do it because of my stutter. When I was thirteen my father got diagnosed with cancer and shortly passed. The choir teacher asked me to join the musical and I truly found the place where I belonged. In high school, I played Edna Turnblad in Hairspray at Apple Valley High School, an experience that challenged me and encouraged me to pursue acting professionally.

I went on to train in the BFA Actors Training Program at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where one of my major roles was Iago in Othello. It was my first experience with Shakespeare and I absolutely loved it. It felt like the first time I mixed my classical training with what makes me special, something I carry into all my work.

My experience as a stutterer in theatre has shaped how I view the craft. Every chance to be heard is one I don’t take for granted and I always remember how desperate I was to be heard.

Isaac leer / karl

I'm an actor and musician living primarily in Minneapolis. I grew up immersed in the Twin Cities arts scene, and it has been a great joy of mine to watch it change and grow, in spite of a world that is increasingly unforgiving where the arts are concerned. My parents are both educators, and their support and encouragement instilled in my brothers and me an appreciation for arts education, and a desire to further its prevalence in this state and country. I've been lucky enough to perform locally at the Guthrie, CTC, Old Log, and Trademark, among others, and my passions have led me to further my training at the University of Minnesota, where I am a senior in the Acting and English departments. I'm encouraged every day by the art I see in the Twin Cities, and I look forward to creating my own, whether it be as an actor, musician, teacher, or something else I have yet to discover.

Precious Caneh/ Willow

My name is Precious Caneh, I’ve always been interested in performing since I was a kid watching MTV with my older sister. I got involved in theatre for the first time in sixth grade. I had a on-and off relationship with theatre in middle school. When COVID began I got into skateboarding and would occasionally hit up the skatepark whenever I was feeling like Yuto Horigome. When I started high-school, l got sick of eating pavement and decided I wanted to get back into acting. I started taking acting classes in Minneapolis and began to develop a genuine passion for theatre and film. In my senior year of high-school I did an acting program at the Children’s Theatre Company and decided that acting was always something I wanted to involve in my life no matter what shape that looks like.

Sophia Nelson/ Zoe

Will McDonaugh/Harry