[quote]By Sushmitha Suresh
Online Writer
Graphic by Sushmitha Suresh[/quote]

The theatre department will be debuting its winter production of “Next to Normal” on Wednesday, Friday, and Jan. 23, but they won’t all be the same show. This year, the directors decided to give out more opportunity and double cast certain roles, creating two completely different interpretations of the musical.

Double casting means that two performers share the same role but perform on different dates. This will be Metea’s first double casted production. “I would say that we had not planned on double casting because it takes a lot of coordination and a lot of trust, since you’re sharing a role,” director of the production Nathan Bramstedt said. “But, we had so many strong auditions and this show only features two women. So, we thought since it already only features two women, let’s feature four women who really blew us away in auditions.”

The show’s double casts include senior Taylor Moran and sophomore Ariyana White playing the role of Diana, a mother who struggles with bipolar disorder and the effects it has on her family. It also includes senior Caroline Bourg and senior Bailey Cochran who play the role of Natalie, Diana’s daughter facing the pressures from her education, society, and her struggling home life. “It’s an eye-opening experience,” Moran said. “Ariyana and I both interpret Diana in different ways, and I love watching her interpret the scenes in different ways than I do.”

“Next to Normal” contains mature themes such as suicide, drug abuse, and mental disorders, things that the cast believe should be addressed. “On the first day, we talked about the mature themes in the show and some of the students shared that they’ve either gone through some of these exact situations, or some of their family has, or one of their friends has, so we really are trying to honor being real. I think having double cast the show we have twice as many women that are bringing those emotional experiences to the process and they don’t need to do it alone, they can share it with someone,” Bramstedt said.

The actresses themselves emphasize how much the double casting situation has helped through the process. “Although the show is really heavy, we both can relate to everything on some personal level which helps a lot with acting the part. Caroline and I always know when to lighten the mood and keep things funny so the weight of the show doesn’t bring us down with it,” Cochran said.

The double casting of the show has not only affected the actresses themselves, but also the other male cast members that have worked with them on conveying the true meaning of the show. “It was very interesting because we had to adapt to two different people interpreting the same role”, junior Ethan St. Germain who plays the role of Gabe, Diana’s son, said. “My personal performance in each show will be slightly different because I am going to have to play to two different actors.”

The double casting brings something new to each show. “Fortunately, the characters they are playing are so deep and have so many different layers. While no one can hit every layer, each girl brings something different. So one night you might see the mom in the show be a little bit sassier or a little bit more serious and the same with the daughter in the show. It’s fun to see what each of them bring, and I think sometimes they inspire the other to even take bigger risks,” Bramstedt said.

You can watch “Next to Normal” in the Black Box Theatre next Wednesday, Friday, and Jan. 23.