Under the direction of Gordon Carpenter, Independent Theatre (in association with Suffer Out Loud and Active Minds MSU) presents Hugh Burroughs in Duncan Macmillan’s award-winning interactive comedy, Every Brilliant Thing. Performances will take place Fridays and Saturdays, August 16 &17, and 23 & 24 at 7pm in the MSU Strand Union Ballroom (enter from the south entrance to the SUB). A single matinee performance will take place Sunday, August 25th at 2pm in the same location.

The story of Every Brilliant Thing: You’re six years old. Mom is in the 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 of 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.

Every Brilliant Thing is a play about depression, and the lengths we will go to for those we love. Performed as theatre-in-the-round (where the audience surrounds the actor on all sides) this one- man show calls upon the audience to play characters from the boy’s life, and read items from the list. This heartfelt comedy reminds us to seek out the joys of life, especially those involving other people. This production was created in association with Suffer Out Loud and Montana State University’s Active Minds and Counseling and Psychological Services.

The Sunday, August 25th matinee features a special talk-back after the show with Suffer Out Loud creator and director, Cassie Jackson. Suffer Out Loud was established in March 2017 with the mission to reduce suicide in Montana by changing the stigma associated with mental illness, and by creating a community to connect people to credible resources that address mental illness while helping them realize they are not alone. It can be scary to reach out for help, but SOL provides a supportive community for individuals when there is seemingly nowhere else to turn. We reach our communities through mental healthcare scholarships; engaging and informative resource distribution; free community workshops; a well-engaged online community; sponsored events that promote education and awareness; and sales of SOL retail/gear, which spread awareness and initiate important discussions.

Content Advisory: This production contains discussions of depression and suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis or thinking about self-harm or suicide, there is help available. Call or text 988 for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Doors open a half hour before curtain. Open seating tickets are $15 / Students; $20 / General, available at www.hughburroughs.com or at the door. Group tickets are available; for more information call (406) 522-4855 or at www.hughburroughs.com