By Jennifer Mustoe and Craig Mustoe
At the beginning of Utah Shakespeare Festival‘s 2019 season, we reviewed Every Brilliant Thing and found it remarkable. Because Jennifer and Craig’s summer has been anything but brilliant, we didn’t get to review it as we’d hoped. However, we recently were able to see this wonderful, important piece before it closed. We wanted to see it because it has personal value to us, but also, Front Row Reviewers has committed to promoting the Utah tour of this show as it makes its way to Utah school districts throughout the state.
Briefly, Every Brilliant Thing is the story of is the story of one person’s (played authentically and passionately by Michael Doherty) efforts throughout his life to keep his mother alive after she makes her first of several suicide attempts when he was six years old. He continues to write the list, especially when she attempts suicide again. The list gets longer and longer, but Mom doesn’t seem to get and stay better. For more information about the actual play, please read our original review. This “review” is more of a personal piece we are sharing as we help promote the show’s tour in Utah.
Both Jennifer and Craig have struggled with depression for most of their lives. Jennifer’s uncle committed suicide before she was born. Our stories are not unique. In every community, family, school, congregation, and organization, someone knows someone who’s tried to kill him/herself. Many in Every Brilliant Things‘ audiences have been those who’ve tried to end their lives or have suffered from suicide ideation. It’s a devastatingly prevalent issue in our society today.
What makes Every Brilliant Thing so relevant and helpful is it provides those who see it to find an amazing tool regarding suicide prevention. In a word, it is GRATITUDE. Finding our own brilliant things can be so helpful when the world looks hopeless and useless–when we feel worthless and heavy with grief. The show is presented with authenticity, value, humor, and a clear picture of what is needed. It pulls no punches. It doesn’t preach. It doesn’t shame or white-wash. It’s just a story of one person’s efforts to keep his mother alive, and in so doing, has learned to keep himself alive.
Utah Shakespeare Festival invested a great deal in this project. Please follow this link for more information about the show and their investment in suicide prevention. Even now, school districts are organizing for the show to be played so high schoolers and others can see it and benefit from its message. Here is Jennifer and Craig’s plea: call your local school district and request (insist) that they schedule an Every Brilliant Thing production to be performed in your area. This is an important, effective, entertaining, and valuable tool regarding a blight in our communities, that of teen (and older) suicide. Note: you may feel uncomfortable about the amount of times the word suicide is mentioned here in this piece. We have used this intentionally. Silence about this topic contributes to its shame and unfortunately can perpetuate it.
Come learn the value of GRATITUDE in preventing suicide. As you make your own Every Brilliant Things lists, we hope you will find more joy in your own lives.
For information about the Every Brilliant Thing tour, click here.
Jennifer Mustoe, Front Row Reviewers CEO
Craig Mustoe, Front Row Reviewers Reviewer and Board Member
0 Comments