Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan is the first Youth Theatre show back in the building since January 2020.
This is a show, I think, ultimately is about love. Familial Love, Romantic Love, and love for life.
Our narrator tells us very early on that their mother has attempted suicide when they were 7 years old. Our narrator’s response to this is to write a list of every brilliant thing to live for:
- Ice cream
- Water fights
- Staying up past your bedtime and being allowed to watch TV.
and so on. As our narrator grows up and the mother tries again, the list grows. We follow them through school, university and onward. Considering the subject matter everything is dealt with grace, honesty and surprisingly, fun.
I chose this as the first show back in the studio as it was an excellent companion piece for Joy which we performed in the summer at The Queens Gardens in Lyndhurst. This was big outdoor piece about Mr Blue who had lost his joy and an eclectic group of individuals helped him find it. Every Brilliant Thing is like the next step to this idea. It may be dealing with some hefty issues and we have had some big chats in rehearsal, but that’s kinda what Youth Theatre is also about- bringing stories to a group which spark conversation, investigation and reflection. It forms the middle show about understanding ourselves – Joy, Every Brilliant Thing and our April show Brainstorm. In honour of a beloved Youth Theatre member we lost last year we are calling it The Rubber Duck Trilogy.
In true Youth Theatre tradition, we have an Assistant Director and technician all from our Young Company who are developing their skills. It’s a really important part of what we offer – meaningful experience to support young creatives as they take their next steps. It works both ways too, we give them space and they give us oodles back in practical assistance, creative companionship and unbelievable loyalty. This year we also worked with your cast on the marketing – the poster image you see for this show was made by our cast with brilliant things they brought in, including Cornelius the errant hamster who basically stole our hearts. I have been trying to find a way of getting him the show…
If you have got this far then maybe you are already a youth theatre supporter. If you are not yet, the only way I can get you to take that last step is to suggest you book your ticket and come and see them. Then you can see for yourself the energy, commitment, resilience, talent and passion that is our next generation. It is my privilege to see it weekly, this is your chance to see it for yourself.
Lucy
Creative Learning Director
