Theatre of Dare, community theater for the Outer Banks, will hold auditions for Next to Normal Monday, January 31, Tuesday, February 1, and Wednesday, February 2, from 6-9 pm at Dare County Arts Council (old Dare County Courthouse), 300 Queen Elizabeth Avenue in Manteo.
“I love a rock musical, and Next to Normal is full of emotionally charged music,” says Lara Parks, Director. “I figure the community is ready for a meaty show – this one really delivers.”
Six parts are available, men and women ranging from 16 up. Participants should be prepared to sing and read during auditions. Anyone interested in helping out backstage is also encouraged to stop by, or email director Lara Parks at theatreofdareobx@gmail.com. Specific details are listed on the website at www.TheatreofDareOBX.com.
“The themes in Next to Normal deal with mental health, something we all deal with every day,” Parks continues. “The family in the show may be an extreme example, but it shows the layers that build relationships and families. So many of us these days are just taking it one day at a time, and mental health really should be an open conversation. None of us is normal. The imperfections in ourselves, our loved ones, are as close to normal as we manage.”
Next to Normal is a rock musical that tells the journey of one seemingly typical family just trying to live through each day. With a mother who is battling severe bi-polar depression, a father who is trying to keep it all glued together, the perfect son, and the daughter who feels unseen, their household is anything but normal. The story addresses mental illness and the effect it has on an entire family. It examines love, grief, and the role psychiatry has in mental illness. The music and the story are a raw and emotional telling of suburban life, where next to normal is as good as it gets.
For more information, visit the website at www.TheatreofDareOBX.com.