1) Ice cream. 2) Kung Fu movies. 3) The color yellow. 4) Laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose.
That’s how you start the list of every brilliant thing that makes life worth living—when you’re six and your Mom finds it hard to be happy.
And that’s the tender, hilarious, and life-affirming story of Every Brilliant Thing, the one-act, one-person play by Duncan Macmillan (with Jonny Donahoe) presented by PCPA at the Severson Theatre in Santa Maria October 9-26.
Directed by Don Stewart and starring Emily Trask, the show is presented in partnership with Allan Hancock College Student Health Services and Transitions Mental Health Association.
“Every Brilliant Thing is a play that leans into the best of humanity even as it acknowledges the hardest parts of being human,” according to Stewart. “It is a play that cultivates joy without ignoring pain.”
He expresses the hope that audiences will leave with a stronger sense of connection and community. “I believe that plays, when they are at their best, make us feel as though we are leaving the theatre having gained something unexpected: a new insight, an answer to an old question, even a call to action,” Stewart says.
Told through a unique blend of storytelling, stand-up, and audience interaction, PCPA’s production offers audiences several opportunities for further engagement. A free 15-minute prologue, providing a glimpse into the show’s artistic process, is scheduled at 1 p.m. in the lobby of the theatre prior to the October 18 performance. In addition, three 20-minute talkbacks are scheduled following the 1:30 performances on October 12, 19, and 26. Talkbacks provide audience members with insights into the artistic elements of the play.