At last it can be told...

I have hinted about a new show I wanted to direct, but I haven’t been able to announce it pending our obtaining the rights from Dramatists Play Service — but yesterday I got the email confirming that Lacuna Group now has the rights to perform Duncan Macmillan’s wonderful Every Brilliant Thing in September.

from DPS’s website: You’re six years old. Mum’s in hospital. Dad says she’s “done something stupid.” She finds it hard to be happy. So you start to make a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world. Everything that’s worth living for. 1. Ice cream. 2. Kung Fu movies. 3. Burning things. 4. Laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose. 5. Construction cranes. 6. Me. You leave it on her pillow. You know she’s read it because she’s corrected your spelling. Soon, the list will take on a life of its own. A play about depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love.

Someone posted on Facebook a couple of months ago about seeing this play and being bowled over, so I ordered a copy. I read it. I was bowled over.

More than that, I knew exactly who needed to play the single character in the show: Lenton Lees, who started at Newnan Theatre Company when he was still a teen and who has become a star in the regional improv community. He is the first and only person who came to mind to do this show with me. For one thing, the script calls for a lot of gentle audience interaction, and Lenton is the best at that.

For another thing, Lenton has a hugely appealing stage presence, something that is vital to making sure the audience comes along for a ride that is not always smooth.

Lastly, I’ve never worked with Lenton and have always wanted to, and vice versa. Notably, this is unlike anything he’s ever done, but I think — I know — that he’s going to be incandescent in this role.

Lacuna Group is happy to be partnering with Southern Arc Dance Center for this production!

Every Brilliant Thing will be Sep 12–14, 2024 at Southern Arc Dance, in conjunction with National Suicide Prevention Week. Mark your calendars, and get your tickets as soon as you can, because this puppy’s going to sell out fast. (Bookmark Lacuna Group while you’re at it.)