FST Announces NEXT TO NORMAL Talkback Tonight

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) will hold a community forum about the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Next to Normal on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 5:00PM in the Keating Theatre (located at 1241 North Palm Avenue, Sarasota FL, 34236). The forum is free to attend, but requires reservations. Reservations can be made by calling the box office at (941) 366-9000. 

Moderated by Paul White, LCSW, a psychotherapist based in Sarasota, and Associate Director of FST, Kate Alexander, the forum will feature four panelists of community leaders and actors from the production to discuss the themes presented in the show and the idea of normalcy in our society.

The panelists include:

Dr. Andrew Cutler, a Courtesy Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Florida and CEO of the Florida Clinical Research Center, LLC.

Emily Walsh Parry, chair of Sunshine from Darkness (a not-for-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to increasing public awareness of mental illness and brain disorders)

Stacia Fernandez, actress, Diana Goodman in Next to Normal

Leo Daignault, actor, Dan Goodman in Next to Normal

The community forum unites the efforts of Associate Director Kate Alexander and Literary Manager Amanda Cayo, who earlier this season launched an online forum for Next to Normal, which serves as an discussion about the play, its themes, and the posited question “What is Normal?” Audience members, community thinkers, and readers have commented and submited long-form posts at www.FST-BLOG.com.

Next to Normal is an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a mother suffering from Bipolar Disorder. It features music by Tom Kitt, with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. Next to Normal opened on Friday, November 4 in the Keating Theatre at FST, and currently runs through January 14, 2012. Critics and audience alike have been raving about the powerful production and performances of the Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-winning musical. The Bradenton Herald said, “’Next to Normal’ might not be for everybody but it’s must-see performance art for anyone interested in what the exciting possibilities are in musical theater,” while SCENE Magazine said it was “a compelling evening in the theatre.” 

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