Photo Flash: Acclaimed One Man Show EVERY BRILLIANT THING Makes New England Premiere

Chester Theatre Company (CTC) is proud to present Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe's Every Brilliant Thing in the historic Chester Town Hall, 15 Middlefield Road in Chester, MA, from August 2 - 13, 2017. The production is directed by CTC Producing Artistic Director Daniel Elihu Kramer.

Every Brilliant Thing was produced by Paines Plough and Pentabus Theatre Company at the Ludlow Fringe Festival, enjoyed a successful Off Broadway run at Barrow Street Theatre, and was subsequently adapted for television and broadcast on HBO.

When a boy's mother attempts suicide, he starts a list of everything that's brilliant in the world to convince her to stay: things with stripes, ice cream, Christopher Walken's hair. CTC favorite Joel Ripka leads the audience on an engaging journey of a son's gift to his mother, to himself, and to the audience. Because of the significant use of improvisation and audience participation inherent in the script, each performance of Every Brilliant Thing will be truly unique.

Every Brilliant Thing marks actor Joel Ripka's seventh play at Chester Theatre Company, and his fourth working with director Daniel Kramer. "In many ways," Ripka says, "Chester is an artistic home for me. It's always been a joy to come up here and do the work. The seasons always feel relevant, important, and challenging. This particular play is very dear to me, and gives us all an opportunity to have a real exchange about things which can be challenging to talk about in any setting. I'm delighted and honored to be working on it."

For the first time in its tenure at The Town Hall Theatre, CTC will be turning the space into a theatre in the round. Both Every Brilliant Thing and CTC's final show of the season, the American Premiere of Folk, will be done in the round, and no seat will be farther than five rows from the stage.

With its abundance of post-show events that encourage audiences to share their experiences and observations with the artists and each other-each moderated by Producing Artistic Director Daniel Elihu Kramer--CTC is bringing the model of the New England Town Meeting to Chester's reconfigured stage. "This is a brand new experience at Chester Theatre Company," said Kramer, "and our audiences will be even closer to the action than usual. We're excited to share this journey."

All performances will take place in the intimate setting of Chester's Historic Town Hall, 15 Middlefield Road, Chester, MA. Show times are 8:00 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and 2:00 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Individual ticket prices are $37.50. Chester residents, members of the military and their families, and those holding EBT/SNAP cards may purchase $10 tickets at the door or by calling the box office. (Call box office for details.) Student Rush $10 tickets are available day of show.

Single tickets, season subscriptions, and flex passes may be purchased online at chestertheatre.org, or by phone at 413.354.7771.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Solaka

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