SHAUNAVON — A brilliant performance by Burnt Thicket Theatre's Elizabeth Nepjuk engaged a large audience Friday, April 4 at Darkhorse Theatre as Shaunavon Arts Council presented Every Brilliant Thing, a one-act play by Duncan Macmillan.
Eastend Arts Council also sponsored a school performance in the afternoon, which was attended by high school students from Eastend and Shaunavon. Several Darkhorse youth members also attended the evening performance.
Nepjuk’s solo performance was enhanced through audience participation as various attendees were invited to play characters in the storyline. The majority of audience members also had the opportunity to contribute by shouting out “brilliant things” that formed a list that the main character had compiled since the age of seven in an attempt to bring her mother back from the depths of depression. Depression and suicide were the serious underlying themes in this comedy, bringing important messages about mental health to the forefront.
One line in the play sums up the main message: if anyone is thinking about suicide: don’t do it. Things will get better; maybe not always brilliant, but they will get better. The list of brilliant things continues to grow as the production tours when people leave their own brilliant thing on a sticky note, which the company collects. An audience talk-back hosted by Nepjuk and stage manager Sam Fairweather followed each performance.
“Theatre brings people together; it can address difficult topics and being able to connect with the audience after the play helps close that circle of interaction, providing an opportunity to share and ask questions about what everyone just saw and experienced,” Fairweather says.
A mental health resource sheet was provided to audience members.
988 Suicide Crisis Helpline (24/7 Canada-wide)
Call or Text 9-8-8 or
Healthline 811 (24/7 Canada-wide)Call 8-1-1 (translation in 100+ languages)
Kids Help Phone (24/7 Canada-wide)Call 1-800-668-6868 / Text 68686
