Information has been released about the Next to Normal auditions. The show plays 24-28 March 2026 at the Bridewell Theatre.
KEY DATES
Pre-audition workshop: Saturday 1 November at Vibast Community Centre, EC1V, Time: TBC
Deadline for self-tape auditions (all roles): 8pm, Sunday 16 November
Recalls (by invitation): 10am-6pm, Sunday 7 December
Rehearsals: Mondays and Thursdays (7-9.30pm) and Saturdays (10am-3pm) starting from Saturday 13 December
FULL AUDITION NOTICE
ABOUT THE SHOW
Next to Normal tells the story of Diana Goodman, a suburban mother in America struggling with bipolar disorder and the impact her mental illness has on her family.
As Diana battles her condition - cycling through therapy, medication, and even electroconvulsive treatment - her husband Dan tries to hold the family together, while their daughter Natalie feels neglected and overlooked. A central mystery unfolds around their son, Gabe.
The musical explores themes of grief, trauma, mental illness. It’s emotionally raw, thought- provoking, and ultimately a story about resilience and love in the face of overwhelming heartbreak.
Our production of Next to Normal is not about replicating the recent West End version - that was excellent in its own right. What excites the team is the opportunity to find our own version of this story. We’ll create space for discovery in rehearsal. The relationships at the heart of this piece are unpredictable, and the cast will be encouraged to react to and explore the work, rather than slotting into pre-determined moulds. The family dynamic is our anchor. It’s a story about their journey, and our vision is to stay true to what they are experiencing. We will be looking to cast actors who are comfortable in exploration, rather than replication.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We are looking for a cast of six, broken down as follows:
DAN [male | late 30s/early 40s | Ab2-B4]
DIANA [female | late 30s/early 40s | G3-F#5]
GABE [male | 18-21 | B2-C5]
NATALIE [female | 16-20 | G3-G5]
DR FINE | MADDEN [male | 30-40+ | A2-A4]
HENRY [male | 17-20 | G#2-G4]
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Sedos strives to ensure our activities are equally accessible to any person irrespective of race, colour, creed, ethnic or national origin, disability, religious or philosophical belief, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or class/socio-economic group. There are no characters of any specific ethnicity in this show, so we actively encourage actors of all ethnicities to audition for all parts.
INTIMACY
There some moments of intimacy in the text; cast members will discuss and safely explore how their character interacts with the others. Throughout rehearsals, we will dig into how the physical contact between specific characters differs. The degree and nature of any physical contact will be down to the individual comfort levels of our cast. There is no nudity nor any sexually suggestive physical contact.
SENSITIVE TOPICS
This production contains a number of topics that some people may find distressing. Exploring the characters’ motivations and experiences will be part of our rehearsal process. The show includes characters reflecting on the loss of their child, the emotional impact and abuse of psychoactive drugs and complex themes around mental illness. Other sensitive themes include the visualisation of controversial therapies (ECT) and depiction of a suicide attempt. As a production, we are committed to creating a safe and open environment in which performers can work. Whilst we will do our utmost to ensure everyone feels safe within these scenes, actors should be mindful of the themes before auditioning.
FULL AUDITION NOTICE
All our current London auditions and other events.