Theaters often choose lighthearted shows for their end-of-season productions, but Centralia College chose a different route this year, ending its 2023-24 season with the rock musical “Next to Normal.”
Centered around a suburban family of four whose matriarch struggles with bipolar disorder and depression, “‘Next to Normal’ explores how one suburban household copes with mental health crises,” Centralia College stated on the theater department’s website. “With provocative lyrics and an electrifying score, this contemporary musical shows how far two parents will go to keep themselves and their family’s world intact.”
The show features a small cast of six, including two high school students — W.F. West High School sophomore Ruby Stanton and Capital High School freshman Karsten Tomlin — and community members Austin Barnett, Christian Bolduc, Robert Jam and Heather Matthews.
While no current Centralia College students are in the show’s cast, students and faculty members are heavily involved in other aspects of the show.
“There are so many people involved with this production. There’s a huge set. There’s a house built on the stage. There’s an orchestra. It really utilizes all these different departments at Centralia College,” said Technical Director and Scene Designer Thomas Perkins.
Mental health issues were a frequent topic of conversation among the cast and crew of “Next to Normal” during the show’s rehearsals, said Centralia College theater teacher and “Next to Normal” Director Emmy Kreilkamp.
“All of us on the production team want to be very clear: We encourage any and all individuals who may be suffering a mental health crisis to seek help from a medical professional,” Kreilkamp said in the show’s program. “ … No one deserves to suffer in pain from any mental condition and the depiction of mental health in the musical does not endorse any course of action in particular. The musical does, however, convey that dignity, partnership and choice in treatment, and autonomy of those suffering is vital for recovery.”
While the topics at the core “Next to Normal” and the show’s plot synopsis may cause some audiences to think of the show as “depressing,” Kreilkamp said, “If one listens to the score of ‘Next to Normal’ and carefully considers its lyrics, one finds a musical rich in raw human emotion and brutal honesty. It is a musical that takes a hard look at the realities of life and doesn’t shy away from the difficult choices and heartbreaking situations the characters are faced with.”
“I think you will leave this performance with a new sense of perspective and a little bit of hope,” Barnett said.
“Next to Normal” opens Friday, May 10, and runs through Sunday, May 19, at Corbet Theater on Centralia College’s main campus.
Showtimes are 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday during the run.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.
Centralia College advises audiences that the show “contains strong language and adult situations.”
For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit www.centralia.edu/theatre.
Cast
Crew
