The Utah Shakespeare Festival, through generous partners, is humbled to offer free productions of Duncan Macmillan’s play Every Brilliant Thing for public district high school in the state of Utah, in an effort to help address the problem of youth depression and suicide.
Wasatch High School Students will have an opportunity on Friday, November 15 and Monday, November 18 to build our community, look out for anyone that needs help, and celebrate our lives.
Utah Shakespeare Festival will be here to present Every Brilliant Thing. This is a story of a young boy’s experience after his mother ‘s attempt to take her own life. Afterwards, he begins a list of everything brilliant about the world. The play provides opportunities for positive communication about depression, suicide, and life through an entertaining and interactive audience participation format.
A small audience will participate in this production today at west campus with the majority of our students participating on Monday
The play celebrates and cultivates the use of proactive, life-affirming communication when confronted with depression. It emphasizes the themes; (1) you are not alone, (2) you are not weird, (3) it gets better, (4) and life goes on. The play provides opportunities for positive communication about depression, suicide, and life through an entertaining and interactive audience participation format. After each performance, playgoers will be invited to a talk-back with artists involved in the show to discuss artistic vision and how the team artistically and strategically approached the material. Resources and information on how students can get help will be available after each performance.
We encourage all schools and counseling offices to prepare their own suicide prevention efforts. The play’s plot: The story begins when, at seven-years old, the lone character learns that his mother is in the hospital after her first attempt to take her own life. Afterwards, he begins a list. A list of everything brilliant about the world. Everything worth living for. With humor and inventiveness, the story explores depression and hope, uncertainty and change, relationships and solitude, risk and resilience, guilt and forgiveness. Throughout the play the character interacts with audience members to share his story.
