The talented folks at Theatre In The Park are still busy with the last two shows in their current season ("Leaving Iowa" runs through April 29, then "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" opens June 8), but they found some time to put together an impressive schedule of shows for their 2012-2013 season.

Right out of the gate in September, the season begins with "Next to Normal." This is the Triangle premiere of the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, featuring a dynamic contemporary score by Tom Kitt. The story of a family wrestling with the ups and downs of mental illness takes you on a wrenching, emotional ride far more uncomfortable than your typical musical. Theatre In The Park follows this powerful show with their annual holiday classic, "A Christmas Carol," which actually IS a happy, feel-good musical.

"The Pillowman" by Martin McDonagh is their first production of 2013. It tells the tale of Katurian, a fiction writer living in a police state. He is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a number of bizarre murders in his town. The classic tale of life imitating art… or is it?

I know we’re a year away from the next show in their line-up, but I’m marking my calendar now. In April 2013, Ira David Wood III will take the stage as the larger-than-life fictional icon, Atticus Finch, in Harper Lee’s "To Kill a Mockingbird."

The season closes with the dark comedy, "Fuddy Meers" by David Lindsay-Abaire. It’s the story of an amnesiac, Claire, who awakens each morning as a blank slate on which her husband and teenage son must imprint the facts of her life. One morning, Claire is abducted. The audience views the ensuing mayhem through the kaleidoscope of Claire's world.

Season Memberships are now available. Call the box office at 919-831-6058 or go to the Theatre In The Park website to purchase yours. Bonus privilege of membership: season members receive discounted tickets and advance purchasing for "A Christmas Carol." That’s a fine perk, indeed.