At 7:30 PM on October 9 and 11, and 4:30 PM on October 10, 2025, members of the Glenbard North Theatre presented “Every Brilliant Thing,” a one-act play by Duncan Macmillan and Johnny Dahoe featuring contrasting themes of depression and hope, and exploring mental health. Interestingly, “Every Brilliant Thing” is centered on the experiences of a child who, really, could be any of us. Details about the main character are left intentionally ambiguous so as to make the story more immersive to the audience, who are able to project their own identity onto the role of the storyteller. 

The premise of the play is that the child’s mother suffers from depression; an attempt to take her own life ends with her in the hospital. Despite their young age, the main character understands the implications of this event, though not fully. Wanting to help their mother, the child starts making a list about everything that is brilliant in the world—things that are worth living for: “ice cream”, “water fights”, “staying up past your bedtime”, “the color yellow”, “things with stripes”, “roller coasters.” The list goes on. Despite the naivety of believing a list of good things will prevent suicide, the story of “Every Brilliant Thing” is an example of the importance of hope. As they grow up, the main character, like us, experiences many ups and downs in their life. They start dating—they get married—they go through a divorce—they drive their father to their mother’s funeral after her final suicide attempt. The important thing is this: when struggling with their mental health, when going through depression, when feeling so confused that nothing makes sense anymore—the main character seeks help. They take a step back and return to what they know. Their list, which represents their hope; their old elementary teacher’s sock puppet dog; things that bring them comfort. They finally seek professional therapy when their spouse, Sam, leaves to give them space, seeing that their depression is not improving. These are healthy ways to deal with grief and mental health struggles.

The play as presented by the Glenbard North Theatre was highly interactive. Members of the audience were given numbered cards before the play started and told to read what was written on the card out loud when their number was called during the play, which was nerve-wracking for some but also gave the audience a part in the story. In a literal sense, even; a few members of the audience were chosen by the actors to act out the roles of characters like the vet, who has to euthanize the main character’s dog to end its suffering, or the main character’s father, who drives them to the hospital after their mother’s suicide attempt. The audience was also seated right on the stage, making them physically closer to the actors and adding to the immersive quality of the play. 

All in all, the presentation of “Every Brilliant Thing” by the Glenbard North Theatre was incredibly captivating and kept the audience’s attention while giving them an active role in the play. As opposed to the more slice-of-life story of this production, the next play put together by the Theatre, “Clue,” will be a classic murder mystery that patrons eagerly await to see in late November.