Updated Jun 8, 2009 - 2:32 pm
Local theatre celebrates Tony Awards
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MyNorthwest.com
Issaquah's Village Theatre is celebrating a big night at the Tony Awards. One of its former talents, Brian Yorkey, developed a musical that won three major awards Sunday night.
Yorkey, who co-wrote "Next to Normal," a musical work-shopped and premiered in the former logging town, grew up hanging out with his friends at the local theatre.
"We learned not only how to act, sing and dance, but also to write, direct, and create our own theatre. That's where the bug hit me," Yorkey told KIRO Radio's Dave Ross the morning after his big win.
Yorkey still keeps in touch with the theatre and its staff. They invited his crew back home to develop the show and test run it in front of local audiences.
"New York musical audiences have seen everything and they tend to be a little jaded. One of their favorite past times is to cut things down before they have a chance to grow. Village Theatre audiences tend to be the opposite. They see the best in everything," he said.
"Next to Normal" is a musical about "a woman who struggled with a mental illness all her life and her family and all the men in her life, who have tried to make her well." Yorkey adds, "that's where we started."
Yorkey wants to point out that the musical is not about his mother. Actually, his mother wants him to point out that the musical is not about her and that she is not bi-polar.
The idea for "Next to Normal," Yorkey says, was first developed in a theatre class. As part of their final project, the students had to write a 10 minute musical. Yorkey said he had just read an article about Electrical Convulsive Therapy, or shock therapy. One of the statistics he remembered was that it's a treatment disproportionately prescribed for women and that doctors who prescribed it were disproportionately male. Yorkey said he later learned there are a lot of reasons for that, but it certainly sparked an idea for a main character in a musical.
Yorkey says standing up on state during Sunday's Tony Award show was a little surreal. "When they announced the names, there was a moment of extreme disbelief and then I had to hurry up on stage."
As for his ties to local theatre, he knows he will continue to stay in close touch with his Issaquah roots and the Village Theatre will continue to produce award winning shows.
"I think it's going to be the first of many. "Stunt Girl" could very well be the next one. The work they do there is fantastic. We wouldn't have been standing up on that stage last night if it hadn't been for Rob and Steve and everyone at Village," he said.
"Next to Normal" won Original Score (Music and/or lyrics) written for the Theatre, Performances by a Leading Actress in a Musical: Alice Ripley, and Orchestrations.
