Auditions for
NEXT TO
NORMAL
Performances:
May 19 to June 23, 2012
on the Mainstage
Auditions:
Monday, February 13, at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, February
18, at 10:00 a.m.
NEXT TO NORMAL
is the story of
Diana Goodman, a suburban housewife, struggling through life as
she battles mental demons in the form of bipolar disorder,
coupled with hallucinations that stem from a trauma sixteen
years earlier. Her husband Dan, an architect, fights to keep her
mind and his family stable but that fight becomes increasingly
problematic as Diana decides to stop taking the pills given to
her by her doctor. After several failed attempts to stem the
tide by means of talk therapy with a different doctor, she
eventually falls into an even darker place and attempts suicide.
At the suggestion of her new doctor, Diana is convinced by her
husband to submit to electroconvulsive therapy that causes her
to have short-term amnesia. Throughout her struggles, Diana’s
relationship with her daughter Natalie becomes strained because
Natalie feels invisible in the eyes of her mother, who prefers
the superhero-like image she has created for her son.
Auditioning singer-actors (experienced singers preferred),
ages 16 and up. Music
reading skills a plus.
Prepare the song of your choice.
Bring sheet music in the proper key; accompanist
provided. Readings from
the script. Bring
headshot/resume if available.
Callbacks to be determined.
$25 stipend per performance for actors over 18 years old.
Director: Jeffrey Sanzel
Musical Director: Ellen Michelmore
Production Stage Manager: Michelle Manda
Diana.
30’s to 40’s.
Sexy, sharp, funny, often on edge, always interesting. A
delusional, bipolar depressive who’s been on various medications
for more than 15 years, she can be distant and forlorn one
moment and alert and blazingly alive the next. Quick to laugh,
quick to anger and full of spark and contradictions. Strong belt
with comfortable soprano mix.
Natalie.
Must be believable as a teenager.
Diana and Dan’s daughter. Bright, determined, energetic,
an overachiever. Responds to the dysfunction in her highly
imperfect family by being as perfect as she can be. Tightly
wound and desperate to please and to keep the peace, but not
without a sense of humor about her circumstances. Strong mezzo
belt.
Gabe.
Must be believable as a teenager.
Diana and Dan’s son.
Dashing, bright, witty, kind, athletic, everything a mother
would want. Sometimes snarky and sarcastic, sometimes deadly
serious, with a healthy sense of play but a gravity that belies
his years. Strong rock tenor with falsetto.
Dr. Madden.
Late 20’s – 40’s. Up-and-coming psychiatrist, committed
to alternative methods and holistic healing. Assured, confident,
quietly intense, piercingly insightful. Buttoned-down doctor
with a rock-star soul. (Also plays psychopharmocologist.)
Baritone.
Henry.
Must be believable as a teenager.
Natalie’s boyfriend. A mellow musician, Gen-Y genius and
coffee-shop philosopher. Soulfully funny, with a scruffy charm
and a floppy style, he’s unassuming and unpretentious but
perceptive, thoughtful and compassionate. Baritenor.
The role of Dan is cast.
