Baldwin drama students to debut 'Normal-C' production about special needs

Nobody is normal. Everyone has their own quirks that they’re dealing with, and that’s what makes them special.

That’s the message behind Baldwin High School’s fall musical, “Normal-C,” that will make its world debut Nov. 7-9.

Written by Castle Shannon’s J.R. Hall, with music and lyrics by Jason Coll of Bethel Park, “Normal-C” takes the audience on a journey with three characters who have special needs. All three are a part of a clinical trial for a pill that will make them normal — but at what cost?

“Someone’s good at math, they design buildings. Someone’s good at art, they entertain. There’s something for everybody, and we shouldn’t try to normalize it,” Hall, the show’s director, said of the premise.

Hall and Coll were commissioned by Beacon College in Florida to write the musical to celebrate the school’s 30th anniversary. Beacon College is the first four-year accredited college for students diagnosed with learning disabilities.

The show was meant “to celebrate the type of students (at Beacon), what they go through and who they are,” said Coll, who serves as producer and musical director.

Hall, the father of 14-year-old triplets, used his family as inspiration to write the script.

One of his favorite memories from his children’s early years was when his one daughter would sit down by his side and watch documentaries with him. She would ask intelligent questions and make detailed observations.

“It was one of those things that make the madness worth it,” he said.

His daughter later was diagnosed with ADHD, and doctors talked about giving her medication.

For Hall, this was traumatic.

“I thought, ‘She might be able to do her school work and focus, but maybe she’s going to lose what we have,” he said. “I started to think about the world and maybe she’s supposed to be that way.”

If everyone was the same, art and music would be bland, he said.

Hall already had this idea for a story when he was commissioned to write the show for Beacon.

When Hall and Coll visited the Florida college, Hall asked three students at Beacon if there was a magic pill that would make them normal, would they take it. Immediately, they said, “No!”

“They said, ‘No, because, how I think and what I think is what makes me,’ ” Coll said. “It’s different and not always easy, but if you changed that, who would I be?”

Writing and producing shows is nothing new for Hall and Coll.

For students at Baldwin, though, working with a show that has never been performed before is a learning process.

The first time the directors heard words said out loud by someone else was on the Baldwin stage. That means sometimes they cut lines or add new ones. Even two weeks out from curtain call, Coll still is talking about adding one more song to the show.

For the students, this is a great learning experience.

“I like how we get to play with our characters,” said sophomore Abbey Stark, 15, who plays Chloe, who suffers from dyslexia. “There’s a lot of wiggle room to work with your character and work with your lines and modify them to how you see them.”

Senior Jordyn Dawley, 17, who plays Eddie’s mom, said her first focus with the show was making sure they “do it right and respectfully” because she understands it can be a sensitive topic.

“I think now, especially in today’s society, it’s really important to normalize these types of things because in the end, we’re all human beings. We’re all the same,” she said.

At Baldwin, which has a large inclusion program with partners classes and Special Olympics programs, students say they’re glad to tell this story.

They want to show that everyone should be accepted.

“The world might seem scary sometimes, but there’s still love and acceptance that we just need to look for and look harder for,” Dawley said.

Baldwin High School will present “Normal-C” at 7 p.m. Nov. 7-9. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the school’s Special Olympics programming. Tickets can be purchased at www.baldwindrama.com.