'Spring' musical drew cast from MySpace

NEW YORK, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Casting agents turned to Web sites, including MySpace, as part of the search for cast members for the New York musical "Spring Awakening."

The controversial musical focuses on the travails of puberty. Producers managed to find enough unpolished singers for the project through the online search, the New York Post reported.

The search reached out to fans of singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik, who composed the songs for the musical.

"We knew from the get-go we'd have to go some unusual route, because we wanted genuinely young people who were rock musicians," casting exec Carrie Gardner said. "MySpace was on the outskirts of my brain -- I'd heard it was like Friendster for people who are musicians."

The casting agents were having trouble casting the show due to its graphic treatment of subjects such as masturbation, the Post said.