The play “Every Brilliant Thing,” written by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe, will be showing in Moscow at the Forge Theater this weekend. This 60-minute show is free for students and will be showing at 7 p.m. on Saturday Sept. 16 and 2 p.m. on Sunday Sept. 17. Tickets can be purchased online.
This performance, which centers around one man’s journey with mental health, will be playing in honor of World Suicide Awareness Day as well as Suicide Awareness Week here at the University of Idaho. This year will be the second time that “Every Brilliant Thing” is being produced at UI in connection to Suicide Awareness.
The show stars UI assistant professor Craig A. Miller, and the performance will be followed by a Q&A session with representatives from the Counseling and Mental Health Center, Vandal Health Education and the Dean of Students Office.
“Every Brilliant Thing” is a performance that follows one man as he grows up with a mother who has severe depression and decides to cheer her up by writing a list of all the wonderful things to live for in the world. He continues this list as he grows into adulthood, and the audience gets to witness how it changes his entire perspective on life and who he becomes.
Craig A. Miller is the star of this one-man show, and he believes this is a play that students will not want to miss.
“This show allows the audience to witness the evolution of a human life,” Miller said. “It will make you stop and think about the beautiful things in your own life.”
The play is special in that it takes some very serious issues regarding mental health and presents them in a way that connects with audiences and brings hope and joy. The show is also unique in that it relies heavily on audience participation. Audience members may find themselves becoming involuntary cast members and the whole theater will get involved with the show.
“It teaches everyone in the audience a little bit about how to deal with depression, either in their own life or the life of someone they love, all through the lens of this one man’s experience,” Miller said.
Grace Giger can be reached at [email protected]