Emory psychiatry faculty will serve as medical consultants to the director and cast of a Broadway musical being staged in Atlanta this fall.

"Next to Normal," the story of a suburban family coping with the effects of mental illness, opens at the Alliance Theatre on Wednesday, Oct. 17, running through Sunday, Nov. 11.

Emory Healthcare and the Emory Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences have partnered with the Alliance as a way of bringing mental health awareness to the Atlanta community.

Pre- and post-show events will give audience members an opportunity to engage in conversation about the issues and ideas presented in the play.

Emory faculty members will facilitate the conversations and answer questions about mental illness at the pre-shows, "Before Play," and the post-shows, "After Words."

A table will be set up in the theatre lobby with educational materials, provider information and free screening opportunities. A mental health professional will also be available to provide direction on how to find resources.

"Mental health touches everyone. One in four people in this country has a brain disease," says Mark Hyman Rapaport, chair of Emory’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. "We are delighted to provide professional insight to the performers, but we also see this as an opportunity to begin a dialogue about identifying people who are suffering from all forms of mental illness, and providing an environment for them to come forward for treatment without apprehension."

Emory faculty, staff and students are eligible for a $10 discount off the single ticket price, using the code EMORY10.

Emory also has another tie currently to the Alliance Theatre, having sponsored a pre-opening reading of Atlanta playwright Pearl Cleage’s latest work, "What I Learned in Paris," currently on at the Alliance through Oct. 6.

For more information, go to alliancetheatre.org or call 404-733-4649.