A groundbreaking musical that redefined Broadway — Next to Normal is a Tony & Pulitzer Prize–winning journey through love, loss, and the fierce will to survive.
March 6 - 15, 2026
A look back at Iron Crow Theatre’s 2023 production of The Rocky Horror Show as featured on CBS News Baltimore.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILSON FREEMAN
Next to Normal isn’t just a musical—it’s a daring, boundary-breaking work that transformed what musical theatre can be. With a soaring pop/rock score and an unflinching look at mental illness, grief, and the fierce will to survive, this Tony Award–winning musical also won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It’s a powerhouse tour-de-force that peels back the layers of a suburban family in crisis. Raw, electrifying, and deeply human, Next to Normal delivers one of the most unforgettable theatrical experiences of our time.
Following our history making, critically-acclaimed, and record setting productions of Rent and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Iron Crow Theatre returns to The M&T Bank Exchange at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center home of the historic Hippodrome Theatre with a bold new production that launches our 25th Anniversary Season of Survival—a season that asks what it means to heal, and to endure, when everything is seemingly at risk.
Join us for a story that illuminated the pain—and power—of survival.
"It is much more than a feel-good musical; it is a feel everything musical. A brave, breathtaking musical!”
— Ben Brantley
“It’s the best musical of the season by a mile, an emotional powerhouse with a fire in its soul and a wicked wit that burns just as fiercely.”
— Peter Travers
"Its choice of subject alone is reason to admire Next to Normal…is it better to feel pain or smother it?"
— David Rooney
CAST
Interested in joining the cast of Next To Normal? Check out our audition page here.
CREATIVE TEAM
MUSIC BY
TOM KITT
HE / HIM
BOOK & LYRICS BY
BRIAN YORKEY
HE / HIM
DIRECTED BY
NATKA BIANCHINI+
SHE / HER
Interested in joining the Creative Team of Next To Normal? Introduce yourself here.
+ denotes Iron Crow Theatre Resident Artist
* denotes Member, Actors’ Equity Association. The professional union for actors and stage managers in the United States.
FRANK ‘N’ FURTER
NICHOLAS MILES+
BRAD MAJORS
JACK TAYLOR+
JANET WEISS
KRISTEN STICKLEY+
ROCKY
DARSEN DURANT
RIFF-RAFF
LUCKY MARINO
MAGENTA
CERA BAKER
COLUMBIA, JANET WEISS U/S
KILEY ERNEST
EDDIE / DR. SCOTT / PHANTOM
BROOKE DONALD
NARRATOR
BEN FISLER
PHANTOM,
BRAD MAJORS & RIFF-RAFF U/S
ALEX HONG
PHANTOM
MICHAEL LEWIS
PHANTOM,
MAGENTA & COLUMBIA U/S
MADISON ROSSI
PHANTOM,
EDIE/DR. SCOTT & ROCKY U/S
GERADEN WARD
+ denotes Iron Crow Theatre Resident Artist
* denotes Member, Actors’ Equity Association. The professional union for actors and stage managers in the United States.
CREATIVE TEAM
BOOK, MUSIC, LYRICS
RICHARD O’BRIEN
HE / HIM
DIRECTOR
SEAN ELIAS*+
HE / HIM
STAGE MANAGER/ASST. DIRECTOR
ALLISON BRADBURY+
SHE / HER
MUSIC DIRECTOR / KEYS
MICHELLE HENNING
SHE / HER
CHOREOGRAPHER
ARTHUR CUADROS
HE / HIM
INTIMACY DIRECTOR
SHAWNA POTTER+
SHE / HER
ASST. STAGE MANAGER
LAUREN MARSH
SHE / HER
COSTUME DESIGN
STACEY STEPHENS
HE / HIM
SET DESIGN / TECHNICAL DIR.
BRUCE KAPPLIN+
HE / HIM
LIGHTING DESIGN
THOMAS P. GARDNER+
HE / HIM
SOUND DESIGN / A1
ZACH SEXTON+
HE / HIM
PROPS DESIGN
SOPH RISCIGNO
THEY / THEM
HAIR & MAKEUP SUPERVISOR
BRANDON ROSS
HE / HIM
GUITAR
JAMIE WILLIAMS
HE / HIM
BASS
JARED DAVIS
HE / HIM
DRUMS
BRETT SCHATZ
HE / HIM
MARKETING
MICKEY MOULDER+
SHE / HER
PRODUCTION ASST.
WYATT LYIONS
HE / HIM
DECK CREW
LUCY DUNN
THEY / THEM
INTERN
ROBBIE SHAPIRO
HE / THEY
+ denotes Iron Crow Theatre Resident Artist
* denotes Member, Actors’ Equity Association. The professional union for actors and stage managers in the United States.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILSON FREEMAN
Coming soon.
Warmly,
Natka Bianchini, Ph.D.
Director, Next to Normal
Managing Director, Iron Crow Theatre
“”
— NATKA BIANCHINI
Director,
Next to Normal
RUN TIME:
Approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes including one 15 intermission.
CONTENT:
This production includes themes of mental illness, grief, trauma, drug use, suicide, and loss, as well as explicit language and sexual content. The production design features loud sound effects, haze, props that create sounds similar to gunshots, and bright, strobing, and reflective lighting effects. Viewer discretion is advised.
M&T BANK EXCHANGE AT THE
FRANCE-MERRICK PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
401 W FAYETTE ST.
BALTIMORE, MD 21201
