Next to Normal has been one of the most successful musicals on Broadway in
recent years. It is a discontinuity: a small revolution in the world of musicals. It has
arrived in Italy thanks to the far-sighted planning and production of the STM
(musical theatre school) in conjunction with the Compagnia della Rancia (Rancia
musical theatre company).

The musical made its debut as a preview on 7 March 2015 at the Teatro Coccia in
Novara with a cast of professionals from the Compagnia della Rancia directed by
Marco Iacomelli. The scenery was designed by Gabriele Moreschi, costumes by
Carla Ricotti, choreographies by Gillian Bruce, and lighting by Valerio Tiberi.

Next to Normal started in 1998 in the United States as a workshop lasting just ten
minutes. Ten years later, it was a short step from the first Off-Broadway
performance to its final seal of approval on Broadway itself. The musical made its
debut at the Booth Theatre in Spring 2009, and a special version of the show was
tweeted in several short 140-character-long messages until the morning of 7 June,
when – after eleven nominations – it won three Tony Awards.

In 2010, it became one of the eight musicals to have won the prestigious Pulitzer
Prize for Playwriting. This alone goes to show the devastating, modern, innovative
force of Next to Normal.

Valerio Tiberi’s lighting was based precisely on the implications of the script and
was designed to define each of the characters in the play according to their stage
presence and the effectiveness of their actions in the development of the story.

The main use of conventional lights in the theatre is well known. However Tiberi
asked to use some Clay Paky moving lights, like the Alpha Profile 700s, the only
700 W spotlights with a framing system on the market.

The ‘ST’ version is ideal for use in television studios and theatres. It is fitted with a
special optical unit and lamp, and it was chosen because it produces a beam of light
with a colour temperature of approximately 6000 K.

“I used the Alpha Profile 700s because they allow me to keep images in focus while
zooming from one beam angle to another, even when the effects are on different
focal planes.’

After the preview in March, the show tour will resume on 30 October at Teatro
Superga in Nichelino, and other dates will follow at major theatres in Turin and
Milan.