Interview with Brian Yorkey
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Table of ConTenTs About AtC 1 Next to NormAl: CommuNity eNgAgemeNt ProjeCt 2 geNerous suPPort 3 iNtroduCtioN to the PlAy 4 syNoPsis 4 soNg list 5 meet the ChArACters 6 meet the CreAtors 7 the roAd to Next to Normal 8 AN iNterview with briAN yorkey 9 the Pulitzer Prize 11 meNtAl heAlth ANd biPolAr disorder 12 iNveNtory of AllusioNs ANd refereNCes 14 glossAry of mediCAl terms iN Next to Normal 16 disCussioN QuestioNs ANd ACtivities 18 it is Arizona theatre Company’s goal to share the enriching experience of live theatre this Play guide is intended to help you prepare for your visit to Arizona theatre Company should you have comments or suggestions regarding the play guide, or if you need more information about scheduling trips to see an AtC production, please feel free to contact us: tucson: April jackson Associate education manager (520) 884-8210 ajackson@arizonatheatre org Phoenix: Amber tibbitts education and Company management Associate (602) 757-6289 atibbitts@arizonatheatre org Next to Normal Play guide is compiled and written by katherine monberg, literary Assistant and Christopher Pankratz, dramaturgical intern discussion questions and activities provided by April jackson, Associate education manager and Amber tibbitts, education Associate layout by esser design abouT aTC Arizona theatre Company is a professional, not-for-profit theatre company this means all of our artists, administrators and production staff are paid professionals, and the income we receive from ticket sales and contributions goes right back into our budget to create our work, rather than to any particular person as a profit each season, AtC employs hundreds of actors, directors and designers from all over the country to create the work you see on stage in addition, AtC currently employs about 100 staff members in our production shops and administrative offices int ucson and Phoenix during our season Among these people are carpenters, painters, marketing professionals, fundraisers, stage directors, computer specialists, sound and light board operators, tailors, costume designers, box office agents, stage crew – the list is endless – The Temple of Music and Art, the home of ATC shows in downtown Tucson. representing an amazing range of talents and skills we are also supported by a board of trustees, a group of business and community leaders who volunteer their time and expertise to assist the theatre in financial and legal matters, advise in marketing and fundraising, and help represent the theatre in our community roughly 150,000 people attend our shows every year, and several thousands of those people support us with charitable contributions in addition to purchasing their tickets businesses large and small, private foundations and the city and state governments also support our work financially All of this is in support of our vision and mission: our vision is to touch lives through the power of theatre our mission is to create professional theatre that continually strives to reach new levels of artistic excellence and that resonates locally, in the state of Arizona and throughout the nation in order to fulfill our mission, the theatre produces a broad repertoire ranging from classics to new works, engages artists of the highest caliber, and is committed to assuring access to the broadest spectrum of citizens The Herberger Theater Center, ATC’s performance venue in downtown Phoenix. 1 Next to Normal : CommuniTy engagemenT ProjeCT reCoVERY is Possible Arizona theatre Company is proud to partner with the following organizations in southern Arizona as part of our Community engagement Project for our production of Next to Normal. join us as we take a look at the reality of coping with mental illness and how it is possible to live a “normal” life national alliance on mental illness, southern arizona www namisa org (520) 622-5582 CoDaC behavioral Health services www codac org (520) 327-4505 Community Partnership of southern arizona www cpsa-rbha org (520) 318-6946 The Haven www thehaventucson org (520) 623-4590 interfaith Community services www icstucson org (520) 297-6049 fund for Civility, respect and understanding www fundforcivility org september has been declared national recovery month by sAMHSA (substance Abuse and mental health services Administration) and october 3-7 is national mental illness awareness Week. in recognition of these national events, Arizona theatre Company is helping our local mental health service organizations spread the message that recovery is possible. we will be hosting a Panel discussion in both tucson and Phoenix to start a dialogue about the reality of mental illness and the many resources available to those in need informational materials from our community partner organizations will also be available in the lobby throughout the run of Next to Normal for our patrons who want to learn more about mental illness in our community for a complete list of our scheduled community events, visit our website: www.arizonatheatre.org or contact Associate education manager April jackson: [email protected]. 2 generous suPPorT generous support for AtC’s education and community programming has been provided by: APs rosemont Copper Arizona Commission on the Arts stonewall foundation bank of America foundation target blue Cross blue shield Arizona the boeing Company boeing the donald Pitt family foundation City of glendale the johnson family foundation, inc Community foundation for southern Arizona the lovell foundation Copper & gold foundation the marshall foundation Cox Charities the maurice and meta gross foundation downtown tucson Partnership the max and victoria dreyfus foundation enterprise holdings foundation the stocker foundation ford motor Company fund the william l and ruth T. Pendleton memorial fund freeport-mcmoran tucson medical Center jPmorgan Chase tucson Pima Arts Council john and helen murphy foundation wells fargo National endowment for the Arts Phoenix office of Arts and Culture PiCor Charitable foundation 3 inTroDuCTion To THe Play Next to Normal book and lyrics by brian yorkey music by tom kitt directed by david ira goldstein Next to Normal, the Pulitzer-Prize winning portrayal of a modern family dealing with mental illness in their midst describes the powerful, agonizing, and beautiful journey of pain, hope, anger, and love that lines the long road to recovery diana goodman, suburban housewife and mother, suffers the symptoms of bipolar disorder as her loyal husband and teenage children struggle to remain supportive and emotionally intact through the jigsaw puzzle of treatments, medications, therapies, and all the common day-to-day challenges of growing up and growing older in America each member of the family accrues their own emotional scars and baggage as they dream of their individual versions of, if not an ideal existence, then one that could be at least be described as “next” to normal the winner of three tony Awards and the first musical to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize since the incarnation ofr ent, Next to Normal expands the entire scope of the rock musical and invites a modern audience into a challenging discussion of the emotional, intellectual, and personal implications of mental illness and its place in our lives, our world, and amongst ourselves synopsis dan and diana goodman have a beautiful suburban house and two beautiful children it becomes instantly clear, however, that the goodman house is far from the “normal” nuclear family early in the play diana is seen performing a very natural task of parenthood: making lunches for her children to take to school the routine suddenly takes a turn for the manic and unsettling diana loses control frantically slapping actress Kendra Kassebaum, actor Joe Cassidy, who plays together a mountain of sandwiches hurtling her towards a nervous breakdown, the who plays Diana in ATC’s Dan in ATC’s production of production of Next to Normal. Next to Normal. first of many throughout the show As the household unravels onstage, character relationships and dynamics are exposed within the dysfunctional family Natalie, the over-stressed academic of the family, retreats to the music room at school to practice her piano sonatas and dream of a life less complicated there she meets henry, a carefree teenage musician who helps her to relax and enjoy the music when he takes an interest in Natalie, she shies away, her parents’ complicated marriage fresh on her mind dan, the loyal and patient head of the family, routinely waits in the car while diana visits dr fine, her psychopharmacologist, who attempts to level out her depressive episodes through a maze of trial, error, and prescription After weeks of adjustments, the drugs finally subdue her emotions completely, leaving her with little feeling at all – a state dr fine refers to as “stable ” diana witnesses Natalie and henry sneak a kiss on the doorstep and laments the dull emotional numbness the barrage of medications has caused with the support of her son gabe, diana flushes away her store of pills, sacrificing her newfound stability to regain the emotions she has blocked out After an embarrassing episode at dinner, dan insists she return to the doctor Cornered, diana tells him he couldn’t possibly understand what she is going through the family is again thrown into torment Natalie begins to feel insecure and questions her relationship with henry dan takes diana to a new doctor who tries less conventional methods of treatment, including hypnosis and electroconvulsive therapy (eCt) Natalie struggles with her mother’s