Award-winning musical ‘Next to Normal’ comes to University of Waterloo
Posted Jul 18, 2026 03:00:00 PM.
Last Updated Jul 20, 2026 03:16:01 PM.
One of the “most powerful musicals of the past two decades” is now coming to the University of Waterloo in late July, thanks to the University of Waterloo Student Theatre Club
July 31 will see the launch of “Next to Normal”, a Pulitzer Prize-winning musical that debuted in 2008 by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey. The show, which centres on a mother struggling with bipolar disorder and the difficulties of suburban life, was nominated for 11 Tony Awards, winning three of them.
The show features a well-renowned contemporary rock score that underpins the core themes of family, grief, mental illness and resilience.
Organizers say the production will be fully student-led, including the performers, designers and stage crew. They say the students involved have dedicated months of work to building the show that will now begin its run in less than two weeks.
The performances will run from July 31 to August 2, and will be performed at the University of Waterloo’s Theatre of the Arts. The theatre is located on the campus’ Ring Road, alongside the Modern Languages building at 200 University Ave. W., just north of the Humanities Theatre.
The show is roughly two and a half hours in length, and tickets are already available. Regular admission tickets are $20.89, and student tickets are $17.16, all of which can be found on the University’s website.
The first performance will take place at Theatre of the Arts at 7 p.m. on Friday July 31.
