Normal Theater Will Perform To Keep Arts In Downtown Danbury

DANBURY — Normal Theater, Danbury’s not so normal theater company, will be presenting Normal Plays That You Can See (for $10) with plays by Anton Chekhov and John Patrick Shanley. The show will be held to benefit A Common Ground Studio 2, 345 Main Street in the New England Plaza (across the street from A Common Ground Studio 1). Curtain will be 8 pm Thursday through Saturday, June 25- 27.

The Bear is a rarely performed comedy (yes, comedy) by Anton Chekhov, the author of classic tragedies The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard. Popova is in mourning for her late husband. She has locked herself away in her country estate. Smirnov arrives and demands that Popova pay a debt that her late husband owes him. Tears fall, anger rises, and passion flies in an all-out throwdown.

Welcome to the Moon, by the Academy Award winner John Patrick Shanley (Moonstruck and Doubt), is a collection of short plays that run the gamut in location and time period, yet all have the common theme of dealing with human nature and love. In it, monsters chew on a man’s head while he sits at a café, two grown men can’t figure out how to kill themselves, a poet keeps his soul in a box, and a man tries to introduce his friend to his lake-dwelling lover.

Normal Theater is a fledgling theater company in Danbury. In its quest to make theater accessible to all, tickets for the ensemble’s performances are always low or no cost.

“We feel that in this current social and economic environment, theater is especially important,” said Normal Theater founder Jenny Schuck. “It reminds us that we are part of a community and that we need to work together. It makes us feel. It makes us think. The theater is committed to entertaining the community and exploring its needs and desires.”

A Common Ground has been a vital part of the Danbury artistic community for years, providing music, arts and a wide range of dance classes, including hula, belly dancing and flamenco. Now, the studio is in danger of closing one of its two studios.

Normal Theater is not only a part of the local art community, but is committed to supporting and preserving the arts in downtown Danbury. In an effort to keep the studio operational Normal Theater will donate all the proceeds from the play to the studio.

Included in the show are Jenny Schuck from Danbury, Peter McGee from Southbury, Kristin Santa Maria from Farmington, Erich Greene from New Haven, Christian Shaboo from New Haven, Andy Kepka from Bridgeport, and John Taylor from Sherman.

For tickets and information visit WeAreNormalTheater.com. To contact Normal Theater directly or sign up for their email list, send email to WeAreNormalTheater@gmail.com.