RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Hoskins, Vicki L.YR 2013 T1 Marketing musicals: Commercializing the avant-garde in Spring Awakening JF Studies in Musical Theatre, VO 7 IS 3 SP 359 OP 368 DO https://doi.org/10.1386/smt.7.3.359_1 PB Intellect, SN 1750-3167, AB Abstract The creative team of Spring Awakening (2006) never anticipated the musical becoming a commercial success. Librettist Steven Sater, composer Duncan Sheik and director Michael Mayer all hoped that the musical would enjoy a modest off-off-Broadway run, but they never imagined it would find a home on the Great White Way. Rather, the creators sought to eschew musical theatre conventions and incorporate avant-garde theatricality in an effort to present an anti-Broadway (and therefore anti-establishment) mentality. This article examines Spring Awakening’s place within the avant-garde tradition against its success within the commercial sphere of Broadway. Can a commercially successful musical ever truly be thought of as avant-garde?, UL https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/smt.7.3.359_1