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Metro Exclusive: Nic Chien in "Spring Awakening"

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<p>In the upcoming musical, &quot;<strong>Spring Awakening,</strong>&quot; a season opener production of <strong>The Sandbox
Collectiv</strong><strong>e</strong>, <strong>Nic Chien</strong> is <strong>Moritz Stiefel</strong>, a 15-year-old boy living in Germany in the 1890s.</p><p>Initially, he revealed that he didn’t want to do it, but after learning more about it, he went on with it. “One, it looked really fun; two, I’d probably regret it if I didn’t try to get in; three, my favorite character is Moritz, and I wanted to play him because of what he represents for me, and for a lot of other people,” Nic begins.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770267245582Nic Chien 1a.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Nic Chien</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Nic sees himself in Moritz</strong></div><p>Like his character, Nic admits, “I’m a huge overthinker, accidentally spiraling into the
smallest things and suffering from a lot of anxiety because of it.”
The reasons may be different from Moritz&#x27;s, but for him, the feelings were parallel: “I&#x27;ve had
my fair share of mental health issues during my teenage years.“</p><p>Moritz is terrified of failure, has discovered new and confusing sexual feelings, and is awkward around his peers. In the musical, he’s the bosom buddy of <strong>Melchior Gabor </strong>(who is
a year younger than Moritz, but far more knowledgeable on many subjects).
</p><p>But to prepare for his role, he didn’t rely much on his mom’s tips, sharing, “For advice, I went more so to my cast mates, asking for methods on how to separate and such. Which has helped.
I would recall a lot of feelings I felt as a younger teenager.”</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770267541822Nic Chien b.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div style="text-align:left"><br/></div><div style="text-align:left"><strong>Nic versus Moritz</strong></div><p style="text-align:left">Nic went abuzz when he finally came out as someone transitioning to become a man.
He’s taking testosterone hormones and has had his chest masculinization surgery, too.
But his character, Moritz, is widely interpreted as a sexually confused, repressed, and
anxious character. There were debates about whether he is straight, queer, bisexual, or
asexual. He likes women, but he also exhibits deep anxiety, potentially indicating queer, gay,
or asexual tendencies.</p><p style="text-align:left">Nic, on the other hand, has the full support of his parents, especially from his mom, <strong>Lea
Salonga</strong>, who, in an interview, gave pieces of advice to would-be parents. She (Salonga) basically suggested that parents must possess unconditional love and acceptance of their LGBTQIA+ children. If they can’t have such, she forewarned them instead.</p><p style="text-align:left">“Do not have kids if you think you will not be able to love your child if they come out to you
and say, ‘Mom, I’m gay. Mom, I’m lesbian. Mom, I’m bisexual. Mom, I’m trans. If under those
conditions, your love will stop, don’t have children.”
Unlike Moritz, who is considered a ‘conflicted closet case’ and is not as fortunate as Nic.
If given the chance to encounter his character face-to-face, all he could muster to say was:
“Hey, man, I’m really sorry about what happened with your family. I know how it feels to feel
so tired of feeling everything, especially the painful parts.
“But as much as it sucks, life can be worth living. It may not seem like it now. But take a
breath and just try to focus. You’re a smart guy, I’m sure you can come up with something.
“Fighting sucks, it’s what makes victory so awesome. Please fight. If not for yourself, for me.”</p><div style="text-align:left"><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770267992740spring awakening cast 1.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Nic Chien with &quot;Spring Awakening&quot; co-stars Alex Diaz and Sheena Belarmino</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align:left"><br/></div><div style="text-align:left"><br/></div><div style="text-align:left"><strong>His stance on two sensitive issues</strong></div><p style="text-align:left">Other than sex education, the dangers of its absence are a central theme in
“Spring Awakening.“ Its plot revolves around teenagers grappling with puberty and sexual curiosity. Set in late 19th-century Germany, their parents and teachers enforce strict silence, leading to tragic consequences, including unsafe sexual encounters and suicide. </p><p style="text-align:left">On abortion, however, even if his character doesn’t encounter such, he says, “My views on it are that it should be accessible to everybody, and shouldn’t be seen as taboo. Because it’s not, and I should not have to explain why.” </p><p style="text-align:left">Another one is about suicide. Nic tells <strong>Metro.Style</strong>, “Personally, I’m a HUGE advocate for mental health, and am someone who has experienced their own mental health struggles, so suicide is something I care a lot about being depicted correctly in this show. </p><p style="text-align:left">“Suicide, at least in my perspective, is a form of escape. A way to end one’s hell; to end a kind of pain that a lot of folks may have trouble even comprehending. But it is also one of the worst—if not THE worst things anyone can do to themselves, and to the people around them. </p><p style="text-align:left">“Suicide is terrible to say the least, and a lot of the time it’s the people we suspect the least to be the ones to do it.</p><p style="text-align:left">“I’m hoping that through this show, people can see how it affects the community, and become
a little kinder and open to one another. Because at the end of the day, I think that’s what
everyone needs.”</p><div style="text-align:left"><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770268612956Full Body - Nic.png" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div style="text-align:left"><br/></div><p>“Spring Awakening“ is Chien’s sophomore musical production. Last year, he starred with his mother in “<strong>Into the Woods</strong>,<strong></strong>“<strong></strong> produced by Theatre Group Asia. He finds the experience both rigorous and fun. “Honestly, these past two productions (ITW and SA) have only made me want to work in professional theater more.” </p><p>He also confesses, “I’m having a great time working with Sandbox! I definitely hope to work with them again on future projects.”</p>

<p>“Spring Awakening“ is Nic Chien’s sophomore musical production, and his role in it is something he wanted to play because of, he says, "what he represents for me, and for a lot of other people."</p>

“Spring Awakening“ is Nic Chien’s sophomore musical production, and his role in it is something he wanted to play because of, he says, "what he represents for me, and for a lot of other people."

Why the Musical ‘Spring Awakening’ Character, Moritz Stiefel, Resonates With Nic Chien

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Why the Musical ‘Spring Awakening’ Character, Moritz Stiefel, Resonates With Nic Chien

Jude Cartalaba

Published February 05, 2026 01:25 PM PHT

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Updated February 05, 2026 01:26 PM PHT

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Spring Awakening

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