GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE 1 2 GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Teresa Jordan, President Eric Newsome, 1st Vice-President Seth Jewell, 2nd Vice-President Donna Chandler Newman, Secretary Kelly Luttrell, Treasurer James “Bo” Adams, Past President/Parliamentarian Frank Adams Hal Beckham WHAT’S Shelley Carr Justin Entzminger Cynthia Mattox Julie Scarpace INSIDE Paul Scott Robyn Sharp From the Executive Director | 5 Tiana Wooden Next to Normal | 7 Director’s Note | 9 STAFF Brian Everson, Cast / Production Team | 11 Executive Director Who’s Who | 13 Dan Kopera, Technical Director Creative Partners | 16 Cheryl McClurg, Education Director Leah Barrett, Bookkeeper Annie Freres, Box Office Manager AFFILIATIONS ArtsMemphis GPAC Education Grant Southeastern Theatre Conference Tennessee Arts Commission Tennessee Theatre Association American Association of Community Theatres CONTACT US ADVERTISING Box Office: 901.453.7447 Onstage Publications 937-424-0529 | 866-503-1966 Box Office Hours: Tuesday-Friday 10:00 AM-3:00 PM e-mail: [email protected] www.gctcomeplay.org www.onstagepublications.com This program is published in association with Onstage Publications, 1612 Prosser Avenue, Kettering, OH 45409. This program may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. JBI Publishing is a division of Onstage Publications, Inc. Contents © 2020. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE 3 FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Welcome back to Germantown Community Theatre! We hope you had a wonderful holiday season. Our seating campaign is almost complete! As of this writing we only lack 10 seats from our goal. If you were on the fence about honoring yourself or your family for the next 25-30 years in the GCT theatre now is the time! Make you tax deductible donation today! Next to Normal is a departure from our usual productions. In my estimation this show is the riskiest production I have produced out of the twelve shows I have overseen in my eighteen months as executive director. The GCT members and patrons love our comedies and mysteries or basically any show that is “happy and fun”. I love those types of shows as well. Some of my favorite memories at GCT revolve around seeing The Foreigner or Fox on the Fairway. It is important, however, to present productions that challenge and enrich us. Next to Normal is such a production. When Olivia Gacka, the director of this production, pitched this project to me initially I was quite reticent. A rock musical about a mother dealing with mental illness is a tough sell. Gradually through our discussions, I began to realize the importance of the piece and its relevance. Since its Broadway debut in April of 2009, this production has been honored with Tony Awards (Best Original Score, Best Orchestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical) and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Next to Normal closed on Broadway in January of 2011 after running more than 700 performances. An impressive run for a show with its subject matter. Thank you for being in the audience today. We hope this show will help bring the challenges of dealing with mental health into a larger spotlight in our community. While it is certainly my hope you enjoy the show, I feel if you walk out of the theatre this evening with a deeper understanding and appreciation of people dealing with the struggles the Goodman family undergoes in the course of Next to Normal, we as a theatre will have fulfilled our mission to Enrich and Engage our community. Next on deck for GCT is Driving Miss Daisy which opens March 13th. In between now and then, be on the lookout for our 49th season announcement on February 19th. Season 49 promises to be our most ambitious yet! GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE 5 Germantown Community Theatre presents Next to Normal Music by Book & Lyrics by Tom Kitt Brian Yorkey Original Broadway Production Produced by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo and Second Stage Theatre Directed by: Olivia Gacka NEXT TO NORMAL Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com Season sponsors: JEAN AND ANDREW SAUNDERS Presented by: City of Germantown, ArtsMemphis and Tennessee Arts Commission Warning: This show contains adult content and language. GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE 7 8 GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR Welcome! I am so happy you have decided to join us for this performance of Next to Normal ! I remember when Next to Normal first premiered, and I thought I had never seen or heard anything like it. But now, over ten years later (and hopefully over ten years wiser?) what interests me is not so much what makes this show exceptional or unique, but rather what makes it ordinary and familiar. Even in this age of transparency and “sharing” (in every sense of the word), there is still such a strong stigma around openly discussing mental health. But the fact is, discouraging discussions about mental health make stories like this seem like anomalies when really, they are happening on every street, in every city, in every state of this country. They are happening in Germantown. On top of that, this story conveys in no uncertain terms that there is no ONE way to experience mental health issues, and there is definitely no one solution. The uncertainty of it all makes it all the more difficult to discuss. You may not have experienced (or know someone who has experienced) every single one of the things you’ll see tonight, but one way or another, we chose to tell this story because this story is real. My hope is that you leave the theater tonight more willing to talk about that with your friends, your family, and yourself. National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 AA World Services: 212-870-3400 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357 GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE 9 CAST Diana Goodman ....................................................................................... Lorraine Cotten Natalie Goodman ........................................................................................... Katy Cotten Dan Goodman ...............................................................................................John Maness Gabriel Goodman ......................................................................................Bruce Huffman Dr. Madden, Dr. Fine, Anesthesiologist ................................................Jacquelene Cooper Henry ...................................................................................................Oliver Jacob Pierce PRODUCTION TEAM Director ......................................................................................................... Olivia Gacka Music Director .......................................................................................... Jason Eschhofen Stage Manager .........................................................................................Rachel Crenshaw Lighting Design ...............................................................................................Dan Kopera Set Design .......................................................................................................Dan Kopera Sound Design ..................................................................................................Dan Kopera Costume Design ......................................................................................... Candy Bartlett Prop Design .....................................................................................................Betty Dilley Set Construction ...............................................Andy Saunders, BC Jennings, Bob Parker, Paul Scott, Dan Kopera, Brian Everson GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE 11 12 GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE WHO’S WHO JACQUELENE COOPER It’s a Wonderful Life: Live Radio Play. At Theatre (Dr. Fine/ Dr. Madden) is Memphis she was Alice in The Addams Family. You elated to be in Next to might have seen her playing Katy Cotten’s mom in Normal at GCT. Notable Charlotte’s Web here at GCT. She is blessed to get to performances include: play Katy’s mom again–art mirrors life–in this (Mrs. Wormwood) Matilda, musical. Love to Chris and James. (Ulla) The Producers, (Lucy Westphal) Dracula, (Mary BRUCE HUFFMAN Magdalene) Jesus Christ (Gabriel Goodman) was Superstar, (Fortune Teller) most recently seen on Sideshow, and (Beggar Woman) Sweeney Todd. Memphis stages as Adam/ Jacquelene has also performed in Memphis Light Felicia in Priscilla: Queen Opera’s debut production of The Gondoliers, as well as of the Desert, Mark in 3 seasons of Opera Memphis productions including: Altar Boyz, Paul in A Chorus H.M.S. Pinafore, La Traviata, Pirates of Penzance, and Line, 9 to 5: The Musical, The Marriage of Figaro. When she is not at the Heathers: The Musical, and theatre, Jacquelene teaches private voice with her Peter Pan. Other credits colleague and friend, Julie Freeman. Jacquelene would include: Broadway Cares (NYC), and Maxx/Herman like to thank Olivia, Jason, and Rachel for all their in Cabaret (Long Island, NY). He is elated to be dedication to this show. returning to the stage with this powerhouse, creative team of artists. “Sending much love to Nichol, Joe, KATY COTTEN Andrew, Jesse, Cecelia, Skip and Cassie. Thank you (Natalie Goodman) Katy is for your unconditional love and support.” For so excited to be part of such