Next to Normal Comes to St. Dunstan's

St. Dunstan’s Theatre Guild of Cranbrook presents “Next to Normal”.

“A brave, breathtaking new musical” –The New York Times

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, November 6, 2014 - A winner of the Pulitzer Prize and numerous Tony Awards, including best original score, this contemporary rock musical explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness. Life behind the white picket fence is far from normal as this emotional powerhouse addresses grief, suicide, drug abuse, ethics in modern psychiatry, and shows just how far two parents will go to keep their family intact.

The story focuses around a loving wife and mother, Diana Goodman (played by Laurie Dooley of Troy), as she fights an uphill battle of grief by arming herself with a regimen of prescription pills. Her husband Dan (played by Ron Williams Jr. of Redford) does his best to maintain a sense of normalcy in their lives, as he desperately strives for a “perfect loving family”. Their daughter, Natalie (played by Miriam Goldstein of Southfield) is constantly being compared to her perfect brother Gabe (played by Jake Zinke of Franklin), while she faces growing pains and fears that she’s becoming more and more like her mother. With the addition of Natalie’s stoner boyfriend, Henry (played by Kevin Kaminski of Detroit) and Diana’s two therapists (both played by Gannon Styles of Novi), the story becomes increasingly more complicated and includes some surprising twists.

The directing team consists of the show’s Director, Jeff Davison of Bingham Farms, Musical Director, Matt Horn of Ferndale, Assistant Director, Kathy Brooks of Royal Oak and Stephanie Peltier of Royal Oak. Billy McLean of Rochester Hills is the show’s Apprentice Director and Mairo Towle of Bingham Farms is the Producer. Obie Burch of Royal Oak is the lighting and set designer, Linda Watson of West Bloomfield is designing costumes and Paul Dorset of Birmingham and Debbie Dworkin of Berkley are handling props.

FACTS & CALENDAR INFORMATION

WHAT
St Dunstan’s Theatre Guild of Cranbrook presents “Next to Normal”

WHO
Books and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, Music by Tom Kitt
Directed by Jeff Davison and musically directed by Matt Horn
Featuring Laurie Dooley, Ron Williams Jr., Miriam Goldstein, Jake Zinke, Kevin Kaminski, Gannon Styles

WHEN: January 16-31, 2015
Opening Night: Friday, January 16, 2015

Performance Days January 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31, 2015 at 8:00 pm
January 25, 2015 at 2:00 pm

WHERE: St, Dunstan’s Theatre Guild of Cranbrook, 400 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Hills, Mi. 48302

ABOUT: A contemporary rock musical exploring how one suburban household copes with crisis, grief and mental illness.

TICKETS: $20 (discounts available for Seniors and Students) and can be purchased by calling 248-737-3587 or by going to www.stdunstanstheatre.com

PRESS CONTACT: Jeff Davison (e-mail: n2nstdunstans@gmail.com or phone: 248-302-0078)

St. Dunstan’s Theatre Guild of Cranbrook is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to the ideal of excellence in local theatre, and offers theatrical productions open to the public between October and June each year.