After making her official comeback to theater last February 1 in the opening day of Next to Normal, which is The Sandbox Collective’s first offering this year, actress Nikki Valdez says it feels good to be back performing live on stage again after 15 years. In the Tony award-winning rock musical, she plays the role of grieving housewife Diana Goodman, who has a worsening bipolar disorder that has devastating effects on her entire family.
In real life, Nikki is a doting mom to her daughter Olivia, which is why this role is also very close to Nikki’s heart. “As a mom of a 16-year-old, I really can connect the songs with my daughter. This could be a song I could speak about with my daughter when we make amends kapag nagkatampuhan kami. Out of all the songs, it really hits me when I get to that part. Medyo personal siya sa akin,” she said.
READ: Nikki Valdez on starring in the musical Next to Normal: ‘I really wanted to be part of it’
With a role that goes through deep mental issues in the more than two hour play, Nikki says her acting process does not involve using any personal grief.
“I think it’s impossible to use my own grief. I have to feel what Diana Goodman is feeling kasi I don’t know the feeling of going through a mental health condition and ‘yung ganung kalalim na depression,” she explained. “I think it’s really more on living in the moment, being alive while I’m doing the scene, and making my own research about putting my own history about how Diana is or was before she had that condition. That’s the difference for me about being an actor on stage.”
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With the main theme of mental health and depression being given the spotlight in her show, the Next to Normal star hopes it puts a spotlight on the issue and normalizes conversation about it, expecially within the family.
“Noon kasi it was taboo. Sinasabi nila,’Huwag mo kausapin yan kasi medyo may deperensiya.’ Ngayon, it’s nice that we can talk about it kasi hindi natin alam na someone’s going through something na beyond our understanding. And based on personal experience, family talaga is important in the healing and coping of anybody going through a mental health problem,” she said. “The family unit, ‘pag maganda ang basic foundation ng family, maganda rin ‘yung magiging healing process. That’s based on my experience with someone I know. May mga pamilya rin naman na hindi talaga accepting but it’s nice if you belong to a family na susuportahan ka in your journey of coping.”
Watch Nikki Valdez in The Sandbox Collective’s Tony Award-winning musical Next To Normal which will run from February 1 to 23 at the PowerMac Spotlight Theater in Circuit Mall, Makati. The show is directed by Toff de Venecia, with musical direction by Ejay Yatco. Tickets are available via Ticket2Me or by visiting ticket2me.net/sandboxn2n.