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PLAYBILL
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Hart Theater is dedicated to the beautiful and colorful lives of Bret and Tara Wells who tragically passed in an aircraft incident on August 7th, 2019. Hart Theater was created in an effort to share their support of the performing arts, their compassion towards others, and their love for their daughter, Emily Wells.
Whether it be sea or sky, fly high
Bret Wells - 1959-2019
Tara Wells - 1963-2019
PRESENTS
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directed by
Chase Ramsey
music direction & conducting by
Nicholas Maughan
starring
SAM TORRES
NATALIA NOBLE
BEN HENDERSON
JOSEPH PAUL BRANCA
JACOB ERICKSEN
CAMERON SOL
HEIDI POTTER HUNT
KATE POTTER
produced by
EMILY WELLS
stage manager
LIZ BLACK
technical director
BOB FISHER
assistant director & properties design
SHANNON FOLLETTE
lighting design
MICHAEL GRAY
sound design
GRACE HEINZ
costume design
EMILY WELLS
scenic design
CHASE RAMSEY
graphic design, marketing coordinator & properties design
SAM TORRES
CAST
DIANA .....................................................NATALIA NOBLE
DAN .......................................................BEN HENDERSON
NATALIE........................................................SAM TORRES
GABE ..............................................JOSEPH PAUL BRANCA
HENRY ...................................................JACOB ERICKSEN
DR. MADDEN ..............................................CAMERON SOL
DIANA (U/S) ........................................HEIDI POTTER HUNT
NATALIE (U/S) ..............................................KATE POTTER
BAND
CONDUCTOR/PIANO .................................NICHOLAS MAUGHAN
VIOLIN ....................................................CHRISTINE WARREN
CELLO..................................................................RISA BEAN
BASS....................................................................DAN PACK
GUITAR....................................................EMILY HACKWORTH
PERCUSSION.....................................................JUSTIN LORD
PRODUCTION TEAM
PRODUCER .................................................... EMILY WELLS
DIRECTOR ................................................. CHASE RAMSEY
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR .............................SHANNON FOLLETTE
MUSIC DIRECTOR ................................ NICHOLAS MAUGHAN
ASSISTANT MUSIC DIRECTOR ..........................JOSHUA ROGERS
STAGE MANAGER ............................................... LIZ BLACK
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR ...................................... BOB FISHER
LIGHTING DESIGN .........................................MICHAEL GRAY
SOUND DESIGN .............................................. GRACE HEINZ
COSTUME DESIGN ........................................... EMILY WELLS
SCENIC DESIGN ...........................................CHASE RAMSEY
PROPERTIES DESIGN ......... SAM TORRES & SHANNON FOLLETTE
MARKETING COORDINATOR .............................. SAM TORRES
GRAPHIC DESIGN & MURALIST ......................... SAM TORRES
SONGS
Act I
1. Prelude
2. Just Another Day
3. Everything Else
4. Who's Crazy/My Psychopharmacologist & I
5. Perfect For You
6. I Miss the Mountains
7. It's Gonna Be Good
8. He's Not Here
9. You Don't Know
10. I Am The One
11. Superboy & The Invisible Girl
12. I'm Alive
13. Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling
14. I Dreamed A Dance
15. There's A World
16. I've Been
17. Didn't I See This Movie
18. A Light In The Dark
Act II
19. Wish I Were Here
20. Song of Forgetting
21. Hey #1
22. Second and Years
23. Better Than Before
24. Aftershocks
25. Hey #2
26. You Don't Know (Reprise)
27. How Could I Ever Forget
28. It's Gonna Be Good (Reprise)
29. Why Stay?/A Promise
30. The Break
31. Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling (Reprise)
32. Maybe (Next to Normal)
33. Hey #3/Perfect For You (Reprise)
34. So Anyway
35. I Am The One (Reprise)
36. Light
BIOS
NATALIA NOBLE (DIANA)
​Natalia earned a BA in English while attending Westminster College. After dabbling in community theater for nearly a decade after graduating, she decided to audition for grad school and was accepted to the Masters in Acting program at UCLA. While there, she earned a scholarship to attend an intensive classical training course at the British-American Drama Academy held over her senior summer at Oxford University. A favorite professor once told her, “Hamlet has never truly been performed, but there have been admirable attempts.” She hopes you enjoy this “admirable attempt” that this incredible cast has crafted together with love and compassion. She'd like to thank her family and friends for their unwavering support, and her partner Tommy John for his love. This is for her mom.
BEN HENDERSON (DAN)
Ben is honored to be included in this cast/company. Ben has performed with Shakespeare Theatre Company, Sundance Summer Theatre, HCTO, HCT, SLAC, and others. He also just finished filming the feature film Rabisu before going into rehearsals for Next to Normal. Ben is a graduate of STC Academy with an MFA in Classical Acting, and UVU with a B.S. in Performance. Thanks to Emily for the chance to share this story!
SAM TORRES (NATALIE)
Sam is thrilled to be working on another production with Hart, especially this masterpiece. She is a Utah-based (Michigan born) film and theatre actress and aerialist with a BFA in Musical Theatre. Recently, she starred as Yellow in Hope for the Flowers and Ilse in Spring Awakening with Hart Theatre. She has worked with companies such as Immigrant’s Daughter, Three-Penny Theatre, Pygmalion, and Plan-B Theatre. Favorite roles include Penelope Pennywise in Urinetown, and Heather Chandler in Heathers the Musical. See more of Sam and her upcoming films and projects at SamTorresOfficial.com | Instagram: @samcattorres
JOSEPH PAUL BRANCA (GABE)
Joey has been hoping for the opportunity to be in this show since he first heard it all the way back in high school, which was definitely not a long time ago, so please don't worry about it. He has worked with many celebrated companies across the Intermountain West and internationally, including Salt Lake Acting Company, Utah Opera, Plan-B Theatre Company, Good Company Theatre, Hale Centre Theatre, West Valley Arts, Hale Center Theater Orem, Universal Studios Japan, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Osaka. In addition to television and voice acting work, he also appears regularly in film, including starring roles in the feature films Dog Valley, the upcoming One Big Happy Family, and the Emmy Award-Winning Resistance Movement; and has received several awards for his work on stage and screen. Thanks to his partner, parents, and Dr. Gomez, who strove to find the right combination of medications to allow his brain to function well enough to share his soul on stage. JosephBranca.com | @JosephBranca
JACOB ERICKSEN (HENRY)
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Jake is thrilled to make their Hart Theatre debut and return to the world of Next To Normal, this time as Henry! Favorite roles include Gabe in “Next To Normal”, Jamie in “The Last Five Years”, and Pippin in “Pippin”. In their free time, Jake enjoys playing the piano, taking care of indoor plants, and hanging out with their cats.
CAMERON SOL (DR. MADDEN)
I've done theater for 20 years and have been on hiatus for 4. Been in a bunch of shows, some you'd recognize... But am MOST excited to be in this show, right now, with these beautiful people. This show is realer than most, and it's helped me along my way. Grateful to be putting all the years of training and therapy to good use! I now primarily do Vocal Coaching and am forming a band with versions of myself that will focus on mental health education and social progress. I hope you'll listen to this show with an open heart and see what it can give you.
"Being fully human is not about feeling happy. It's about feeling everything." -Untamed, Glennon Doyle
"The price of love is loss- but still we pay. We pay anyway." -Next to Normal
Insta: @loudestsol @vibevocalstudio
HEIDI POTTER HUNT (DIANA U/S)
Heidi is so happy to be back with Hart Theatre Company, following her recent role as Staphanie Necrophorus in "Nine." Some of her favorite roles include Marmee in Little Women, Evil Stepmother in Into the Woods, Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia, Mrs Walker in The Who's Tommy, Franca Naccarelli in The Light in the Piazza, and Christine Colgate in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Heidi's theatre credits also include Choreographer, Music Director, Director, and Producer. She thanks her family for their love and support. To Kate: "You and I were meant to fly." I love you to the moon and back.
KATE POTTER (NATALIE U/S)
Kate is beyond grateful to be a part of this show. Next to Normal has been a favorite of hers since she was 12 and simply cannot believe she gets to be here at this time with these particular, wonderful people. Recent theater credits include: Maria in Nine (also with Hart :)), Wednesday in Addams Family, Dorothy in Wizard of Oz, Snow White in Into the Woods, and Sister Mary Robert in Sister Act. She would like to thank her mom (Diana u/s), her sisters, and the rest of her family and friends for their love. Here’s to pouring our hearts out on stage!!
EMILY WELLS
PRODUCER/COSTUME DESIGNER
Emily (she/her) is thrilled, as one of its founders, to be producing Hart Theater's third (soon to be fourth) season! She has a BA in Musical Theatre from Weber State University. Emily has performed on stages across the country and internationally. Some of her favorite roles include Carla in Nine and Queenie in Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party (Hart Theater), Johanna in Sweeney Todd (West Valley Arts), Belle in A Christmas Carol (HCT), The Dragon in Shrek the Musical, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, and Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Emily self-identifies as a 90-year-old grandma. When not performing/producing, she loves wrangling her two adorable, but psychotic, pups, MoMoney and Bailey. @imshmem
CHASE RAMSEY
DIRECTOR/SCENIC DESIGNER
Chase Ramsey is known for Kevin Costner's Horizon, Falling for Christmas (Netflix), Sweet Pecan Summer (Hallmark), The Storied Life of AJ Fikry (Amazon), Yellowstone, and The Book of Mormon Musical on Broadway playing Elder Cunningham. Film director - Scratchy, Cage, and Tumbleweed, Forget the Rest, Vicarious. Director for Stage - Berkeley Rep., The Guthrie, and Cutting Ball Theatre.Published on Amazon, The Interview. Past food network host and director/writer for the Walt Disney Company. Composer with Disney Jr. Co-Owner of Kingcup Productions, a film production company releasing our first Horror film this October titled 'Rabisu'. Instagram: Chaseramseyreally.
SHANNON FOLLETTE
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Shannon is genuinely grateful and beyond thrilled to get to be involved in this stunning production. She has been performing in live theater for 20 years but this is her first time working as an assistant director, and she couldn’t imagine doing it alongside anyone other than her long-time friend and mentor, Chase. Favorite roles include Scuttle in The Little Mermaid, Milky White/Florinda/Granny in Into The Woods, Annie in The Play That Goes Wrong, Sister Mary Lazarus in Sister Act, and Belinda in Noises Off. Shannon would like to thank the production team for this incredible opportunity, the cast for their vulnerability in sharing this beautiful story, and her family, friends, and partner for their endless love and support. This one is for Cory and Cameron - "The grief of missing you is well worth the privilege of having known you."
LIZ BLACK
STAGE MANAGER
Liz graduated from USU with a BFA in Stage Management. She was fortunate to work with multiple theatre companies in Utah before landing her dream job at Disneyland in the Stage Management department. While this production of Next To Normal has ranked at the top if her list, her favor Management credit to this date is the role of Mom to her two dynamic boys. She’s extremely grateful to Hart for all of the opportunities they have given her. None of it would be possible without her family’s total support.
NICHOLAS MAUGHAN
MUSIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR
Collaboration is the theme of my musical life. My first piano lessons, taught by my mother, included duets. I work frequently with singers & string players in a variety of recitals & recording projects. I love “finding the story” & composing and arranging music for lyricists, playwrights, & choreographers. With plenty of stage experience, I’m just as happy conducting a musical theater pit or playing a night of jazz under the summer stars as I am in the concert hall. It’s been a joy to put Next to Normal together with the fabulous artists at Hart Theater Company!
Recent credits include Val Caniparolli’s Jekyll & Hyde (Ballet West); Jerome Robbin’s In the Night (Ballet West); J. Taylor Arnold’s The Bitter Price (Next Ensemble); Kristin Chenoweth and the Utah Symphony (Deer Valley); Legally Blonde (Hilton Head).
JOSHUA ROGERS
ASSISTANT MUSIC DIRECTOR
Joshua Rogers (he/they) is a Utah-born, Utah-based actor and aspiring music director with a passion for pushing the boundaries of theatre to create a more compassionate, inclusive, and expansive art form. Recent stage credits include Georg Nowack in She Loves Me, Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Jack in Into the Woods. Joshua is classically trained under Dr. Christopher Puckett at Westminster University, with additional studies from Michael Lee Brown (SimpLEEfy Studios) and Jules Snarr. He is deeply grateful to Nic, Chase, Emily, and everyone at Hart Theatre Company for their support in bringing this beautiful production to life. Follow him at @jshrgrs.
GRACE HEINZ
SOUND DESIGNER
Grace (she/her) is excited to be doing her THIRD production with Hart Theater Company. She is a sound designer and audio engineer based in Salt Lake City. She has made a career across the valley making a home at the West Valley Performing Arts Center, Salt Lake Acting Company, and Pioneer Theatre.
MICHAEL GRAY
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Michael is a lighting designer and programmer based in Salt Lake City, Utah. His main area of expertise is in musicals presented in the round. He has recently dived into themed entertainment and non-linear design.
Lighting has always interested Michael because of the way it subconsciously affects audiences. He is fascinated by its ability to simultaneously control focus and relay the literal, spatial, and emotional developments of a production. Its power in storytelling transcends the near automated lighting of a stage and allows for the vibrancy and truth of a world to shine through.
HART THEATER would like to thank...
The Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, & Parks Program for their generous contribution
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The Regent Street Black Box at the Eccles for the use of this incredible venue
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Julie-Anne Liechty at Lightree Studios for the use of an amazing rehearsal space
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The cast and crew for their incredible dedication to telling truth.
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