Next to Normal is the story of Diana Goodman and her family. Traumatized by the death of her infant son from an undiagnosed intestinal obstruction, Diana has lived with bipolar depressive disorder and delusional episodes for the past seventeen years. The illness has affected everyone in her life, and has nearly torn her family apart on several occasions. With subject matter rendered achingly recognizable by Brian Yorkey, and a dynamic, energetic pop-rock score by Tom Kitt, Next to Normal is a show that enables a small group of actors to showcase powerhouse vocals while exploring pressing contemporary issues of trauma, loss, mental health treatment, and the meaning of family.

Exit 7 is a community theater group located in Ludlow, Massachusetts that was founded in the spring of 1984 and began with a production of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians. Located on Chestnut Street in the historic auditorium of what was previously the Ludlow High School, the Exit 7 Players have focused on renovating the Chestnut Street Theater while bringing the arts to Ludlow and the surrounding communities.