The musical Next to Normal deals with heavy topics like bipolar disorder and mental illness.
NMU’s Department of Theater and Dance performed performances of its latest production, the rock musical Next To Normal, Wednesday through Saturday nights with guests from Great Lakes Recovery joining for a post-show discussion on Thursday.
The play is about a family’s struggle with mental illness, both directly and indirectly as Diana Goodman’s character struggles with bipolar disorder. The play has a small cast of six, ensuring more time is spent on each character and their feelings and experiences. Despite dealing with serious subject matter, the play has a full range of emotions, with a romantic subplot and even the occasional levity provided by humor.
Rehearsals for the show began in early October at the Black Box Theater and continued into the early winter semester at the Forest Roberts Theater. Production stage manager Sylvia Bednarczyk said working at the Black Box Theater had its own difficulties, as the play features a two-story stage resting on a turntable about 36 feet in diameter, for which the small theater had no space. To compensate for this, the floor was partitioned with tape to identify the different rooms and levels, giving the actors a better sense of stage.
Bednarczyk said this on-set difference made directional cues like blocking difficult. The move to the larger theater also had its own challenges. He mentioned that the two floors were built separately, so the movement of the actors had to change once again as the set was completed.
However, this challenge was not without its positive aspects. Student director Sophie Sam said that the Black Box was a much more intimate space to rehearse, allowing for deeper performances. Actors John Fatla and Katherine Marsh said that early rehearsals at Black Box were a good place to start the process, with Marsh noting how it brought a higher level of intimacy to the larger theater.
“The theater basically becomes your home,” Marsh said.
Fatla said that he would normally be in the theater at 6:00 pm to warm up and start practicing six to seven songs around 6:30 pm According to Sam, these rehearsals could last four to six hours a night.
As a director, Sam was always available to work on any issues that might arise, as well as spending time researching the play. Bednarczyk similarly checked to make sure everything was running smoothly, as well as completing pre-production paperwork and lockout notes. Bednarczyk said that the cast began to feel like a small community by the end of rehearsals.
All of this work was based on what Marsh described as a cathartic experience on stage for an actor. He said it was a bit of nerves as well as excitement, but it was nice in the end.
“All that buildup happens, but once you walk on that stage and the stage lights are on, your mind is totally clear,” Fatla said. “You know exactly what you have to do, you know exactly how you have to do it. You can do something a little different one night and see how it goes, but at the end of the day, it’s an amazing experience.”
Great care was taken in putting the show together, but just as important was dealing with the heavy theme of mental illness in the play.
On Thursday, February 3, the NMU Theater Department welcomed professionals from Great Lakes Recovery to discuss mental health and entertainment, how it relates to the play, and resources for audience members.
When working with the actors themselves, Sam said that as a director, she was careful not to get into any real-world trauma and to give the actors adequate space when they needed it. Bednarczyk said it was common to give a “COVID-friendly hug” and occasionally use humor to lighten the mood with such a deep acting theme.
Performances will continue through February 5 and tickets for the show can still be purchased at NMU ticketing.
