BWW Stage Mag Every Brilliant Thing - Lesher Center for the Arts Stage Mag

Center Repertory Company presents

Every Brilliant Thing

 

By Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe

Directed by Jeffrey Lo

 

Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
George & Sonja Vukasin Theatre
January 6 - 28,  2024

 

EVERY BRILLIANT THING is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

EVERY BRILLIANT THING was first produced by Paines Plough and Pentabus Theatre, on 28 June 2013 at Ludlow Fringe Festival. The play had its North American premiere at Barrow Street Theatre, New York, on 6 December 2014, where it was presented by Barrow Street Theatre and Jean Doumanian Productions. 

 

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NOTE TO AUDIENCE: The videotaping or audio and/or visual recording of this production is a violation of United States Copyright Law and an actionable federal offense.

 

Thank you to our restaurant sponsor! Visit Elia, a short walk from the Lesher Center, eliarestaurants.com.

 

EVERY BRILLIANT THING is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

EVERY BRILLIANT THING was first produced by Paines Plough and Pentabus Theatre, on 28 June 2013 at Ludlow Fringe Festival. The play had its North American premiere at Barrow Street Theatre, New York, on 6 December 2014, where it was presented by Barrow Street Theatre and Jean Doumanian Productions. 

A Note From The Artistic Producer

Welcome to Center Rep's production of EVERY BRILLIANT THING. We are here today to encourage the discovery of the unseen threads that weave joy into the fabric of our lives, revealing the extraordinary moments that make life truly remarkable.

As we are all acutely aware, our nation is navigating a profound mental health crisis. This production transcends the bounds of mere performance; it acts as a beacon of hope and understanding, inviting us to elevate the conversation around self-care and mental wellbeing. For anyone wrestling with these challenges, know that you are not alone, and that support and solace are within reach.

Recent years have indeed been marked by isolation, anxiety, and loss, yet they also stand as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. EVERY BRILLIANT THING touches upon these themes with grace and empathy, urging us to remember and honor those who have left indelible marks on our lives.

Our world in all its complexities and challenges, is also replete with moments of profound beauty and gratitude. This play delicately navigates the intricate balance between joy and pain, mirroring our own life experiences. It's a balance that is essential to our collective evolution and personal growth.

We hope that EVERY BRILLIANT THING serves as a poignant reminder of the small yet significant joys that light up our world. Often unnoticed but always present, these moments are a tribute to the brilliant things that surround us. As you experience this story, we hope it encourages a deeper appreciation for the everyday wonders that make our lives extraordinary and prompts each of us to become advocates for mental health awareness and the pursuit of joy.

Thank you for sharing this space with us today.

Markus Potter
Artistic Producer
Center REPertory Company

 

A Message from Center Rep

While aspects of mental health are addressed through a lens of emotional growth and humor, and the play focuses on resilience and hope, Every Brilliant Thing contains discussions of depression and suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis or considering self-harm or suicide, help is available. Call the A3 Miles Hall Crisis Call Center at (844) 844-5544, available 24/7 or visit www.cchealth.org/services-and-programs/behavioral-health or click for a list of additional health services. 

Cast

William Thomas Hodgson
Narrator, AEA

Creative Team

Jeffrey Lo

Director

Spense Matubang

Lighting Designer

Gregory Robinson

Sound Designer

Liesl Seitz Buchbinder

Costume Designer

Alyssa Tryon

Props Designer

Bailie Molsberry

Production Stage Manager, AEA

Randall K. Lum

Rehearsal Stage Manager, AEA

Joe Coe

Assistant Stage Manager

Share Your Brilliant Thing

After the show, audience members are invited to share your own "brilliant thing" with the world by posting what makes life worth living for you on the board inside the theatre. Share it on social media with the hashtag #mybrilliantthing and tag @CenterREP!

Photo credit: Alessandra Mello

Meet the Company

William Thomas Hodgson

Narrator, AEA
William Thomas Hodgson (He/Him) most recently worked with Center Rep as choreographer for last season's Red Bike (dir. Jeffrey Lo). His regional acting credits include four seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, It Can’t Happen Here (Berkeley Rep), Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame (La Jolla Playhouse), El Henry (SDrep/LJP), Calligraphy (TheatreWorks), An Octoroon (Mixed Blood Theatre), Cyrano (Aurora Theater Company), Seussical (Berkeley Playhouse), Truffaldino Says No (Shotgun Players), I Am My Own Wife, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Oakland Theater Project). He received his MFA from UC San Diego, and is co-artistic director of the Oakland Theater Project.

Jeffrey Lo

Director
Jeffrey Lo (He/His) is a Filipino-American playwright and director based in the Bay Area. He is the recipient of the Leigh Weimers Emerging Artist Award, the Emerging Artist Laureate by Arts Council Silicon Valley and Theatre Bay Area Director's TITAN Award. Selected directing credits include The Language Archive, Little Shop of Horrors and The Santaland Diaries at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin and Hold These Truths at San Francisco Playhouse, Vietgone and The Great Leap at Capital Stage as well as A Doll’s House, Part 2 and Eurydice at Palo Alto Players (TBA Awards finalist for Best Direction). As a playwright, his plays have been produced and workshopped at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, BindleStiff Studio, City Lights Theatre Company and Stanford University. His play Writing Fragments Home was a finalist for the Bay Area Playwright's Conference and a semi-finalist for the O'Neill Playwright's Conference. Jeffrey has also worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Asian American International Film Festival, San Jose Repertory and is a company member of Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company and SF Playground. Jeffrey also works as an educator and advocate for issues of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and has served as a grant panelist for the Zellerbach Family Foundation, Silicon Valley Creates and Theatre Bay Area. He is the Director Community Partnerships and Casting Director at the Tony Award Winning TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, a graduate of the Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute and a proud alumnus of the UC Irvine Drama Department. For more: www.JeffreyWritesAPlay.com.

Spense Matubang

Lighting Designer
Spense Matubang (They/He) is a freelance lighting and projections designer currently based in Oakland, California. They have been working in the professional theater world of the Bay Area for four years. They received their degree in Theater Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2020. Spense uses their career as a never-ending outlet for exploration, creative experimentation, and community building. They have previously designed for The Chikahan Company, City Lights Theater Company, EnActe Arts, Town Hall Theater Company, Ferocious Lotus, New Conservatory Theatre Center, Shotgun Players, SF Playhouse, West Valley Light Opera, and Jewel Theatre.

Gregory Robinson

Sound Designer
Gregory Robinson (He/Him), a United Scenic Artists Local USA 829, IATSE Member, is ‘An Artist That Paints With Sound & Music’. His creative works have been featured in local, regional, and national radio and television advertising; short films; documentaries; corporate video; and theatre. His work has been featured in an Emmy award winning documentary, an HBO Special, and he has been recognized by the San Francisco Bay Area Critics Circle, with a Sound Design ‘Excellence in Theatre Award’ for “Water By The Spoonful”, and a nominations for “Proof” and "Two Trains Running". Gregory recently designed for the Penumbra Theatre production (St. Paul, Minnesota) of Nambi Kelley's play "Re-Memori"; the TheatreWorks production of "Fannie, The Music And Life Of Fannie Lou Hamer"; composed music for the Aurora Theatre Company’s production of “Paradise Blue; designed sound and composed music for The Marin Theatre Company’s production of August Wilson’s “Two Trains Running, and designed for the Syracuse Stage Company’s production of “Salt/City/Blues.

Liesl Seitz Buchbinder

Costume Designer
Liesl Seitz Buchbinder (She/Her) is thrilled to once again join Center Rep for another lovely production. Her design work was last seen here at the Lesher Center in A Christmas Carol. She studied costume at Western Michigan University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Her work, both in design and technology, has been seen all over the Bay Area, and all over the country, and she currently works as the Interim Costume Shop Manager at Center Rep. As always, this is for Jolon, Lucie and Josephine. It's always for them.

Alyssa Tryon

Props Designer
Alyssa Tryon (She/Her) has been the Resident Properties Designer for Center REP since 2019. Originally from New Jersey, she worked in NYC for six years prior to moving to the Bay Area. Her work has been featured in NYC, Santa Fe, Sacramento, and all over the Bay Area. She has a BA in Theatre Performance & Theatrical Design from Marymount Manhattan College. She would like to thank her family, friends, and fellow creatives for all their support! www.alyssatryon.com

Bailie Molsberry

Production Stage Manager, AEA
Bailie Molsberry (He/Him) is passionate about facilitating creativity, fostering joy, and uplifting under-heard voices, as he believes that art can be used to educate and enrich the lives of all those it touches. He is so excited to join Center REP to tell such a beautiful story. Select credits include The Mystery of Irma Vep, The High Table, and The Glass Menagerie (Diversionary Theatre); DRIVE (WOW Festival by La Jolla Playhouse); White Christmas and Mary Poppins (Roustabout Theatre); Fantastic Mr. Fox (Cal Poly Humboldt). Thank you as always to Jordan, for everything.

Randall K. Lum

Rehearsal Stage Manager, AEA
Randall K. Lum (He/Him) recently stage managed The Legend of Georgia McBride for Center Rep. He is a Resident Stage Manager with TheatreWorks Silicon Valley for over a decade. Other companies stage managed for: American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Rep., Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Center Theatre Group, Old Globe Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, Seattle Rep., Arena Stage, California Shakespeare Festival, Pasadena Playhouse, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, and Denver Center. Some favorite productions include: The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler, Equivocation, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, American Night: The Ballad of Juan José, Restoration Comedy, The Birds, Three Days of Rain, Confederates, Hold These Truths, Fade, The Royale, They Promised Her The Moon, Wit, Fade, Princes Marjorie, and Fun Home.

Joe Coe

Assistant Stage Manager

 

CENTER REPERTORY COMPANY
Matt M. Morrow
Artistic Director		   Carolyn Jackson
Managing Director
Frankie Hughes
Interim Production Manager		   Markus Potter
Artistic Producer
Joe Coe
Assistant Stage Manager		   Del Medoff
Master Electrician
Sylvia Lubman
Associate Producer 		   Stephanie Weldon
Wardrobe/Costume Technician
Liesl Buchbinder
Interim Costume Shop Manager 		   Alyssa Tryon
Props Designer
Izzi Fleury
Wardrobe Supervisor		  

MacKenzie Blair
Props Assistant
Edie Olson
Dresser/Makeup		   Jeff Draper, Kerri Shawn
Education Directors
Jennifer Perry
Casting Director		    

 

LESHER CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Carolyn Jackson
General Manager
Toni Kilcoyne
Production Services Supervisor
Daniel Aldrich, Breezy Bratton, Alex Bull, Terry D'Emidio, Meghan DeBellis, Claire Denman, Alex Howard, Chris Joe, Addam Ledamyen, Theo Neeno, Steve Pino,  Garrick Schuster, Josh Stouffer, Fiona Sundy, Josh Yarnell, Steve Young
Technical Staff
Jeremiah Vierling
Audience Services Supervisor
Cian Chu, Penelope Griffin, Hali Loyd, Robert Nolan, Julia Toon, Zeus Valentine, Aurora Wassmuth
Ticket Office Staff
Peter Catalano, Reece Jordahl, Karen Kopp, Denise Kruft, Katie Ladowicz, Cameron Lippincott, Krizzia Manlangit, Carole Price, Amelia Record, Lucia Robke, Sam Samuels, Bell Stark, Cheryl Wong-Ng
House Managers
Pat Rusich
Usher Coordinator
Linda Nomura, Sarah Wilcox
Office Specialists
Katrienne Lemye, Shelly Rose, Randy Taradash
Marketing Staff

 

CITY OF WALNUT CREEK
Loella Haskew
Mayor 
Cindy Darling, Matt Francois, Cindy Silva, Kevin Wilk
City Council Members
Sarah Baltazar, Jill Dresser, Jane Emanuel, Iasmine Klauber, Ann Merideth
Arts Commission
Dan Buckshi
City Manager		  

Kevin Safine
Arts + Rec Director

  

About the Playwright

Duncan Macmillan

Plays include: PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS (2015-2017, National Theatre/Wyndham’s Theatre, West End); 1984, adapted from George Orwell (2013-2017, Headlong/Nottingham Playhouse Theatre Company, West End, Broadway, international tours, co-adapted/co-directed with Rob Icke); EVERY BRILLIANT THING (2013-2017, Paines Plough/Pentabus Theatre, Edinburgh Festival, UK and international tours, HBO); CITY OF GLASS, adapted from Paul Auster (2017, 59 Productions, HOME, and Lyric Hammersmith); 2071, co-written with Chris Rapley (2014-2015, The Royal Court/Hamburg Schauspielhaus); THE FORBIDDEN ZONE (2014-2016, Salzburg Festival and Schaubühne Berlin); WUNSCHLOSES UNGLÜCK, adapted from Peter Handke (2014, Burgtheater Vienna); REISE DURCH DIE NACHT, adapted from Friederike Mayröcker (2012-2014, Schauspiel Köln, Festival d’Avignon, Theatertreffen); LUNGS (2011-2016, Paines Plough and Sheffield Theatres/Studio Theatre, Washington, DC); and MONSTER (2006, Royal Exchange Theatre).

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