Interview: Jennifer Hovey & Sapphire Theater Bring NEXT TO NORMAL to Life

Theatre is more than just a fun form of entertainment. It can be an avenue for opening dialogue about some complex topics. One show that blew the doors off of the theatre and left the audience talking when it premiered was NEXT TO NORMAL. Jennifer Hovey is the Artistic Director of the Sapphire Theater Company, a theatre company that created for theatre to create opportunities to jump start conversations in the community about social issues. This company is excited to present this show through October 4th at the California Center for the Arts.

I had the pleasure to chat with Jennifer about the theatre company and talk to her about what she hopes the audience gets from their current show and from their theatre company as a whole.

Since your theater company wants to help use theatre to bridge the gap between community and social issues, what about themes about this show did you think were important to explore?

"I really think the issue of mental illness is very much ignored in our community, people tend to hide it instead of confront and talk about it, as if it is something to be ashamed of. I felt this show to be a very realistic account of a woman struggling with bipolar disorder, and also how it affects her family. It paints a very colorful picture of what is like from all sides. It also touches on issues of psychiatric medication and the controversy around it. I felt these points in particular were very important to explore, and feel the show as a whole is a great start to what we are about at Sapphire Theater Company. We are working with the International Bipolar Foundation, and are donating a portion of proceeds to this wonderful foundation. Lori Butler of IBPF held an open forum after a matinee performance with the community to answer questions that people might have about the show's content, as well as talk about mental health and resources for individuals and family members dealing with mental illness. "

As a theatre that to educate and inspire youth through this medium, what do you think younger viewers in particular will take away from this show?

"Honestly to educate and inspire youth is part of our mission statement, and we do strive to achieve this. Unfortunately this show in particular is not for youth of all ages due to its PG-13 content, but for older youth, NEXT TO NORMAL is very relatable to many. Natalie is played by Yael Chanakov, she is a high school senior and her character, as well as Henry played by Dakota Ringer are very real and relatable to the teenage population. I feel that youth that is old enough to understand everything going on in this show, will walk away taking with them just as much as any adult. Sapphire Theater Company is about involving youth in our productions, in our upcoming season we definitely have considered that in our musical choices. We hope to educated youth behind the scenes with education in Musical Theater, as well as impacting the youth in our audiences. We currently have two Equity actors in our show, Julie Rogelstad and Gerry Schooler, and we hope to continue having such adult talent on board for the younger cast members to learn and grow from."

How do you think theatre is impactful for a community and for youth?

"There is absolute power behind lyrics and music as well as the spoken word, and through the vessel of Musical Theater this can reach the community as whole in a very powerful way. Musicals with intimacy and content are a very effective and essential Art. We strive to not only produce these types of musicals on a professional level, but to also involve the community with open forums to facilitate dialogue of whatever production they have just seen in order to process and express opinions and revelations to further the community using the modality of musical theater. It really is a more powerful Art than people give it credit, and Sapphire Theater Company hopes to enlighten people of its importance. "

What were some interesting challenges that came up while working with the cast on this show? As a show with themes on a more serious side, mental illness, grief, family dynamics, etc.... how do you approach this when you take it on?

"As the Director working on this show definitely has had its challenging moments, but I would never change this experience for anything in the world. One of the most challenging aspects of this show in particular was really getting every actor to delve inside each character so they could portray a realistic account of what this family would look like in all sincerity. There was a lot of research involved so that we could gain authenticity with this wonderful piece of work, and accurately bring it to life on stage. It is such an important piece and nothing was overlooked by our Artistic Team. This score musically is extremely challenging, and this cast worked incredibly hard to master all its nuances to perfection. Everyone in the cast is beyond talented, and it has been an absolute pleasure being on this journey with them all, we have become like a little family... it's been a beautiful process! "

Check out the performances of NEXT TO NORMAL through October 4th at the Studio One Theater of the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. Tickets for this production will be available for the cost of $22 for adults, $16 for seniors/military, and $30 for VIP Early Admission. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketleap.com.

Photo Credit: Sapphire Theater Company