THEATER & COMEDY | A musical about mental illness

Next to Normal is the 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winning contemporary rock musical about a suburban family of four grappling with a mother’s worsening bipolar disorder. The show utilizes central Illinois vocal talent to carry an exciting, pop-rock score. Next to Normal addresses complicated themes such as grieving and loss, ethics in modern psychiatry and suburban life. Although the plot centers on the mother’s 16-year bout with depression, the varied effects of her depression on the rest of her family are explored through the perspective of other family members as well. A “talk-back” session about mental illness with the cast and crew of Next to Normal as well as Mental Health Centers of Central Illinois professionals will occur after each Sunday performance. Tickets are available by calling the Hoogland Center for the Arts box office at 523-2787 or visiting http://hcfta.org.