Friends of West Dorset are bringing their production of Every Brilliant Thing to the Lyric Theatre in Bridport on October 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. The show was a sell-out success at the Allington Arts Festival in September, and tickets are now available at the Bridport Tourist Information Centre by calling 01308 424901.
Critically acclaimed, the play explores depression and suicide, but according to the Guardian, it manages to be “One of the funniest plays you’ll ever see about depression.” Taking London by storm in the summer, the play is fundraising for a suicide charity, James’ Place UK. It is written by Duncan MacMillan and Jonny Donahue, and in London, Lenny Henry and Sue Perkins, among others, are performing solo roles. Casarotto and Ramsey Associates have granted the company permission to stage an amateur production of the play.
Romla Walker, who is playing the lead role in this one-person play, last year raised money for James’s Place UK, whose work drew her to this project. She is thrilled to be highlighting such vital issues in such a powerful way.
Margie Barbour, the director, explained that her brother’s suicide, aged 17, had changed her whole family’s life, and so she knew at first hand the impact of suicide. Margie shares the story of the play: ‘You’re seven years old. Mum’s in hospital. Dad says she’s “done something stupid”. She finds it hard to be happy. You start a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world. Everything worth living for. You leave it on her pillow. You know she’s read it because she’s corrected your spelling.
Every Brilliant Thing is a funny, moving and interactive play that reveals the effect of mental illness on families while exploring the lengths we will go to for those we love. The child attempts to ease their mother’s depression by creating a list of all the best things in the world. Through adulthood, as the list grows, they learn the deep significance it has on their own life.
‘This play is life-affirming and shows the healing power of connection,’ says Margie. ‘From when I first came across it, I have wanted to find an opportunity to direct it. The Allington Arts Festival at St Swithun’s invited me to bring it to them, and I am delighted to do so.
‘At heart it’s a play about living with depression, and it’s less about the idea that the list actually “works” than that it’s a way of communicating love and care between those who struggle to talk about the pain they’re going through; that some things can only be addressed obliquely. Every Brilliant Thing is above all a communal endeavour.’
Chris Fogg, dramaturg, explained, ‘Every Brilliant Thing is a remarkable play—unique, innovative, engaging, compelling. It manages to be both comic and tragic at the same time, poignantly celebrating hope’s triumph over sorrow in a way that is as courageous as it is moving. Romla delivers an unforgettable, virtuosic performance in the lead role that is wittily nuanced and full of surprises, directed with precise, subtle clarity and confidence by Margie Barbour.’
Tickets are now available at £15 and can be purchased from the Bridport Tourist Information Centre by calling 01308 424901.
Please note: This production includes discussion of suicide and depression. Age recommendation 16+
