WESTPORT — Actor Tyler Nye stars in the Depot Theatre Main Stage production,” Every Brilliant Thing,” which celebrates the small joys in life and explores themes of depression and loss.
“It’s a one-man show,” director Chan Harris, an East Texas native and CUNY theater professor, said.
“It originated in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It played in London for awhile. It played in New York. It’s kind of one man’s journey. It’s based on a true story of a guy who was (six) years old, but started a list of all the greatest things in the world he could think of to cheer his mom up. It sort of became a way for him to be able to get through life, the really hard things that happen in life.”
Ice cream tops the nameless narrator’s list.
“Everyday, I keep looking for the greatest things around like driving really fast on a country road was my thing yesterday, which I shouldn’t be doing around here because I know they give tickets out like crazy,” Harris said.
“Out in the country, you drive really fast. There are no cars or nothing else.”
In the play, the narrator gets up to 1 million on his list.
“He has worked on it his entire life,” Harris said.
“People have submitted stuff, too. I don’t know how much of the story is based in reality and how much isn’t. But I feel this is probably true that people got word of the list and started sending him brilliant things. So, he just added to the list and added to the list and added to the list. It’s wonderful and funny. It’s a really, really, joyful play. I’m having such a great time doing it. Tyler Nye is the narrator of the show. He can go on the list. It’s been such a joy to work with him. I didn’t know him before. He’s just such an awesome actor and brings so much to the play. It’s been wonderful to work on.”
The play is set in the here and now in the Depot Theatre. It is rated PG-13 (Mature themes).
“In fact, Tyler goes out and sits in the audience with people and talks to people in the audience,” Harris said.
“It’s very non-traditional theater. We talk about the fourth wall in theater the kind of wall that is there. There is no wall at all. He is telling it to us who have come to see the show, the night or day of. It’s kind of right there, almost in our faces, basically like talking directly to us.”
“To me the play deals with mental health in a way, but it is also very much a play about finding joy in life. Finding joy in everything. Finding joy in the things around you and being open to finding that joy. That’s what I want people to want to take away from it. Relationships and the things that we value are important, and they bring us joy and we should celebrate that.”
The production’s artistry is balanced with an approach of sensitivity and care.
“Recognizing the delicate subject matter of mental health,” Harris said in a release.
“It has been our aim to portray these themes with authenticity and respect, while also highlighting the play’s message of hope and resilience. Our wonderful Depot team has collaborated closely to ensure that every moment on stage is truthful and impactful.”
The show opens today and runs through Aug. 4. A portion of opening weekend ticket sales will be donated to the Essex County Suicide Prevention Coalition.
“When you experience Every Brilliant Thing, you’ll appreciate how anxious we were to find an actor who could win over an audience without acting; a relatable every man who makes us feel safe, and makes us laugh about serious topics,” Beth Glover, half of the Depot Theatre’s artistic production management team along with Karen Lewis, said.
“As much as Tyler is our guide, director Chan Harris — a Depot alumnus — has been equal parts his conductor and his pilot in this diamond of a theatrical balancing act. Together they’ve created a memorable performance you won’t forget.”
Production sponsor is Mountain Lake PBS.
Tickets $28 can be purchased online at DepotTheatre.org or by calling 518-962-4449.