MANSFIELD—The Renaissance continues its popular Black Box Series with the musical drama Next to Normal, a Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning musical that brings life’s difficult questions to the forefront through the exploration of mental illness and family.
The musical tells the story of Diana Goodman as she struggles with the ups and downs associated with a diagnosis of bipolar depression; the toll it takes on her family and their shared battles with past trauma.
“It’s an incredibly intimate story that tackles hard subjects in a very caring way,” says Director Ryan Shealy. “It doesn’t shy away from the hard truths about mental health issues, but rather, highlights why it’s important to face our struggles and trauma.”
Ashland native and musician Kelly Knowlton plays Diana. “She’s not your typical heroine: she is broken and unpredictable and messy, but we still root for her and want to see her find the healing and restoration she needs so badly.”
“Everyone who auditioned for this show or even heard we were doing it, kept mentioning how important the piece was to them personally,” Shealy says. “I think more people are becoming open about their own struggles with mental health and it’s good to see a story so honestly reflecting that.”
Taking place in the modern day when a staggering 1 in 4 Americans 18 years and older suffer from a diagnosable mental illness, the themes of Next to Normal invite viewers to explore their own responses to loved ones impacted by symptoms or to look inward at their own experiences.
Following the performance on Sunday, October 9th the cast of Next to Normal will host a discussion featuring a panel of local mental health practitioners with audience member question and answer time.
“This is always an important story to tell because it brings up conversations about mental health and how that needs to be destigmatized.” Assistant Director Nik Demers says, “You really see how everyone is affected and the various ways they cope.”
Next to Normal, features lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. It was the Winner of three 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Musical Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize.
The performance is at Theatre 166, running from October 7th to the 16th. Visit Rentickets.org to book tickets now.