BCT Partners With St. Luke's for EVERY BRILLIANT THING

Ice cream. Water fights. The color yellow. A seven-year-old boy starts a list for his mother. A list of everything that is brilliant in the world - all of the reasons to want to live.

Such is the premise of Every Brilliant Thing, running at Boise Contemporary Theater March 4th through March 21st. Told with the help of the audience, this touching one-man show was written by Duncan MacMillan with Jonny Donahoe and is directed by Chicago-based director Julie Ritchey. A play about depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love, this thought-provoking play has been performed all over the world and was the subject of a recent HBO documentary.

Through equal parts humor and empathy, Every Brilliant Thing tells the story of a young man who has grown up in the shadow of mental illness and, through his own experiences with love, loss and depression, has learned to find meaning and hope in everyday life. An immersive storytelling experience that combines comedy, improv, and audience interaction, Every Brilliant Thing strikes a delicate balance between grief, loss, and laughter.

Boise Contemporary Theater is proud to partner with St. Luke's Health System and its Behavioral Health team to help bring awareness of mental health issues and available resources to our community during the run of Every Brilliant Thing. Behavioral health professionals from St. Luke's and advisory members from the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline, a program of Jannus, Inc., will be on hand in BCT's lobby before and after each performance offering information and materials on mental health issues and help that is available for our community members struggling with depression and other related challenges.

Additionally, experts from St. Luke's, the Idaho Army National Guard, and the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline will serve as panelists during two scheduled talk backs during the play's run. These behavioral health panelists will join Chicago-based actor Christian Libonati, in town to play the solo lead in Every Brilliant Thing, and BCT Producing Artistic Director Benjamin Burdick, on stage after the play to engage in a Q&A with audience members about the play and issues addressed within it. The dates of these scheduled talk backs are Friday, March 13 after the 8pm performance, and Saturday, March 21 after the 2pm matinee performance.

You're six years old. Mom's in the hospital. Dad says she's "done something stupid." She finds it hard to be happy. So you start to make a list of everything that's brilliant about the world. Everything that's worth living for. 1. Ice cream. 2. Kung Fu movies. 3. Burning things. 4. Laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose. 5. Construction cranes. 6. Me. You leave it on her pillow. You know she's read it because she's corrected your spelling. Soon, the list will take on a life of its own...

Tickets are $22-$38 and available online at BCTheater.org or by calling the BCT Box Office at 208.331.9224.

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