Mental health leavened with touches of humour
Stage production presents mental health issues with touch of humour
It has been well over a year since Every Brilliant Thing was first staged, but the message of the play hasn’t diminished.
Every Brilliant Thing is a one-person play that examines issues of depression and mental health as the main character makes a list of brilliant things that make life worthwhile. And it’s a comedy.
“A lot of the play still feels as relevant and important to tell as it did before,” performer Jenna-lee Hyde said. “The amazing thing that happened the first time around was that I saw how much people not only wanted to support me in this play, but how much they wanted to support each other.”
The play was first staged in Saskatoon, and returned to that city last week due to popular demand, produced by Burnt Thicket Theatre.
It kicks off the Globe Theatre’s 2020 Sandbox Series this week in Regina.
As the play has had time to “percolate” with her, Hyde said she feels this time around she’s a little more confident with handling the material.
“Even coming at it now, there are certain lines ... now I say them out loud in a totally different way and they feel different,” she said. “I’m excited to share this play with a little bit of a different mindset.”
Hyde won a Saskatoon and Area Theatre Award for her leading role in Every Brilliant Thing the first time around in the fall of 2018, and the show was also nominated for Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Production.
Stephen Waldschmidt, the director of the show and artistic director of Burnt Thicket Theatre, said he was thrilled to bring it back once again with Hyde.
“(The audience) will laugh, hilarious laughter, and they will be inspired,” Waldschmidt said. “And probably most people will be moved to tears … it’s a very beautifully poignant show.”
Waldschmidt said it’s uplifting to see so much interest in a funny but emotional show.
“My favourite part of the show is watching people respond to Jenna-lee’s performance,” he said. “It’s been so satisfying and encouraging.”
It’s a vulnerable position for any performer to be the only one onstage, and the deeply personal content of this show doesn’t make that any easier for Hyde. But she said one of the best parts of being able to perform Every Brilliant Thing again was seeing an audience experience it again.
“It brings people together ... who all experience the same thing, and then they can leave having shared an experience no one else had that evening,” she said.
Every Brilliant Thing runs Thursday through Sunday (Jan. 30-Feb. 2) at the Globe Theatre. For tickets and showtimes, visit globetheatrelive.com or call 306525-6400.
A post-show discussion will be held following each performance. The discussion will be facilitated by Leroy Berndt, executive director of Canadian Mental Health Association Regina Branch.