by Duncan Macmillan, with Jonny Donahoe

Could you name a hundred things that make life wonderful? A thousand? How about a million? When he was 7, a boy started a list of things to live for in an attempt to save his mother. As he grows up, the list takes on a life of its own. From “Ice Cream” (#1 on the list) to “Staying up all night talking” (#9,999), Every Brilliant Thing shines a hilarious and compassionate light on dark corners of the human condition. A play about the lengths we will go to for those we love—told in collaboration with the audience.

EVERY BRILLIANT THING is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

The last few years have brought into focus the precariousness of being alive. Anything can happen at any time, and we have so little control. How quickly the scales can tip, upending the life we so carefully planned. Sometimes waking up and putting one foot in front of the other truly feels like an act of courage.

And. 

We do it anyway. We put one foot in front of the other. Humans strive to survive, even inside the tightest parameters. In the darkest of places, we seek a sliver of light, a small opening, a seed of hope. It can be one thing. One small, singular, seemingly insignificant thing. It doesn’t need to be profound, or important. But this one thing may be enough to sustain us through the present moment and give us hope for a better tomorrow. 

What if we tried to notice these small things that make life worth living? You know how you never notice yellow cars on the road? Until you start to specifically look for them, and suddenly yellow cars are everywhere. That yellow car phenomenon might make my list of brilliant things. What’s on yours?

- Sarah Van Deusen, Director of Every Brilliant Thing

Performer
Nick Piper*

* Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Director
Sarah Van Deusen

Set Design
Derek Smith

Costume Design
Lee Alexander Martin 

Lighting Design
Camille Davis 

Sound Design
Matt Green & Sarah Van Duesen

Stage Manager
Dane Urban*

* Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Joe & Donna LeVine

BARTER THEATRE IS PARTIALLY FUNDED BY