‘Next to Normal’ on tap from DITGDC
Play won three Tonys
Lowell’s Dramatically Incorrect Theater Group and Dance Company (DITGDC) bring the realistic rock musical “Next to Normal” to life this weekend and next in the Loft Theater, 9 Central Street.
With book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt, the 2008 show centers on a mother who struggles with a worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing her illness has on her family. It addresses many of the issues facing people today — grief, depression, mental illness, drug abuse, suicide, ethics in modern psychiatry and the underbelly of suburban life.
It won three Tony Awards including Best Original Score, Best Orchestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Alice Ripley, who played the mother Diana. It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
The DITGDC production features two casts headed by Jessica Wells as Diana in Cast A, running March 24-26, and Monica Whitlock in that role in Cast B, running March 31 and April 1-2.
Go to https://ditgdc.ticketleap.com/next-to-normal/ for tickets.
Next up in the DIT
GDC season is the delightful musical “Matilda” May 5-7. Visit https://ditgdc.org for info.
In the wings
ECO-FILM SERIES:
The free 2023 Eco-film Series, dubbed “Forces of Change,” is back this spring. Offered annually in partnership with the Lowell Film Collaborative and Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust, it is held the fourth Tuesday of the month with screenings at the Lowell National Park Visitor Center, 246 Market St., Lowell. Upcoming films are “Ex
posure,” March 28; “The Magnitude of All Things,” April 25; “Dam Removal Double Feature,” May 30; and “Monobloc,” June 27. For info and to RSVP (required), visit https://low
elllandtrust.org/aboutus-2-2/ecofilm-rsvp/?utm_ medium=email&utm_ source=govdelivery.
COMING TO WORCESTER: The United States Air Force Concert Band and
the Singing Sergeants, the official chorus of the U.S. Air Force, bring their uplifting repertoire of classical favorites and tunes from the great American songbook to Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 30. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. As part of a 12-city tour of the Northeast, the concert honors the service of airmen both past and present and showcases Air Force excellence through music. The program is free and open to the public; however, registration is required. Tickets can be reserved at mechanicshall.org.
YOUNG COMPANY RETURNS: Merrimack Repertory Theater’s Young Company is returning in 2023. The program runs July 10-28 and is open to students ages 14-18. The program will incorporate workshops on acting, playwriting, plus monologues and scene analysis. Workshops will be run by MRT
Teaching Artists.
Students will meet and work with nationally recognized playwrights, actors, and directors. They will find and develop their voices as actors and writers and will get hands- on experience with the professional and business side of the theater industry.
The intensive workshops culminate in the Summer Showcase, where they will perform monologues as well as short original plays.
Further opportunities are available to the participants of the Young Company program following the Summer Showcase. Students will observe MRT’S rehearsal and tech production for select productions and attend professional workshops for plays that MRT develops.
New this year, is MRT’S Younger Company, a weeklong program for middle school students, running July 31- August 4. Students will work on workshops and labs centered on fun, all while building important cognitive and empathetic skills. This new program will allow students to explore the theater in a fun way and prepare them for their future whatever their path may be.
The Young Company Program is designed to prepare students for collegiate studies and careers in theater and performing arts. This fun, immersive experience for students builds strong connections with theater professionals and helps them to understand the inner workings of a theater. Tuition for Young Company is $600 or $350 for returning students. Tuition for Younger Company is $200. Limited financial assistance and scholarships are available. More information at: https://mrt.org/youngcompany .