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By Karen Garcia |
Over the past six weeks, six actors have shut themselves inside the “grey box,” a room hidden away in the depths of the Mago Hunt basement. They’ve gathered there every day in order to delve into the minds of their characters and bring to life a contemporary story of family, mental illness, loss and drug abuse set against the scene of American suburbia.
Oh, and they’re doing this all through song.
This is “Next to Normal,” the Pulitzer and Tony-winning rock opera put on by ActUP, the University’s student-run theater club. The club is a way for students of any major who are interested in theater to have a voice in the theater department's decisions, as well as providing opportunities for students to create their own productions.
Senior Michael Hall’s role in the production is mainly that of producer and actor, although he has some influence over the stage-management, costumes and directing. A member of ActUP, Hall said that he first proposed staging “Next to Normal” in order to carry out ActUP’s mission to showcase theater that students will find relatable and interesting.
Hall said that main stage productions are often chosen by faculty and are highly influenced by what department donors want to see, leading to student dissatisfaction. In “Next to Normal,” ActUP aims to present students with a show that represents their interests.
“Even if you don’t have a specific relationship to the subject matter, (in “Next to Normal) the show does an incredible job in portraying its message of light and darkness in life,” Hall said. “I think that’s incredibly important for young people, especially college students to see.”
Freshman Madeleine Tran, who plays the role of Natalie Goodman, the daughter of the family, has been a loyal fan of the show since its Broadway debut in 2009.
She didn’t expect, however, to end some rehearsals in tears, floored by how real her character and the show in general felt. As someone who has experienced dealing with a family member with mental illness, Tran noted that the beauty of the musical is its frankness.
“The characters aren’t trying to make any political statement and they’re not ridiculous or over the top as can often happen with musicals,” Tran said. “Those types of shows are fun, but it’s interesting to do something where you feel like you’re dealing with real people.”
“Next to Normal” is ActUP’s first licensed work, which led the club to look to outside resources in order to finance the production. ASUP provided ActUP with the necessary money to secure the rights, and the club set up a GoFundMe account available online for anyone interested in supporting theater to donate to.
The greatest challenge the production has faced has been time. While most musicals and plays are produced over a matter of months, “Next to Normal” has only been in formal rehearsal for six to seven weeks.
Tran notes that despite the time constraints, it is the cast and crew’s extensive cooperation that’s made the show’s upcoming debut on UP’s campus possible and representative of ActUP’s ability to unite, no matter how stressful the circumstances.
“This is Michael Hall’s child - he’s birthing it. The cast, designers and directors are the limbs of this child, and some limbs may be more functional than others, but the full baby is healthy,” Tran said. “This baby’s going to come out kicking.”
Next to Normal performance times: Friday, March 27 at 7:30pm Saturday, March 28 at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm Sunday, March 29 at 2:00 pm
Location: Blair Studio Theater, in lower level of Mehling Hall Admission is free.
