The theatre department’s spring production of the musical Next to Normal took on a topic that is usually pushed aside—mental illness. The play’s format and theme caught the attention of Professor Jennifer Holmes, who directed the all-student cast.
“I love that it’s such an anti-musical in that it challenges expectations of musicals” said Holmes in a recent interview with the Quaker Campus. “I also love that nine-tenths of the show are really in conflict, but still, the end of the show is hopeful. I leave feeling hopeful, even though I watched dysfunction and pain being played out in an honest way for the majority of the show. That, I think, creates really a great theatrical experience.”
The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical juxtaposes what appears to be a “normal” suburban family unit to the extremely abnormal daily life they face as the mother suffers from bipolar depressive disorder.
The cast of students include Ruben Sanchez ’18, Nikki Knupp ’18, Cristian Perez ’18, Sydney Summers ’19, Garrett Spejcher ’19, Jacob Shore ’19, Lauren Estrada ’20, and Zayne Repp ’20. The ensemble intensely rehearsed for the musical starting in JanTerm to prepare for the spring opening. A student-run crew also participated in building a multi-level set onstage within the Robinson Theatre.
