1. What are some of the “brilliant things” that would be on your list? Remember the rules:
    a. things have to be genuinely wonderful and life affirming
    b. not too many material items
  2. Every Brilliant Thing contains moments of joy and laughter alongside grief and sorrow. How did the juxtaposition of these contradictory emotions impact the arc of the story and your experience in the theatre?
  3. This show’s format is unique in the way it invites the audience to participate through reading list items and being cast as characters in the story. Did your feelings about audience participation shift before, during and after the show? Why do you think playwright Duncan Macmillan chose to involve the audience rather than write in more actors?
  4. While the play is a work of fiction, it does include many facts about mental health and suicide, including guidelines from the Samaritans. What is something new you learned from the show?
  5. The narrator describes hope saying, “in order to live in the present we have to be able to imagine a future that will be better than the past.” Do you agree with this definition? How do you define hope?
  6. The narrator remembers specific music paired with many of their memories throughout the show. Is there a song that brings you back to a particular moment or time in your life? What other senses do you associate with strong memories?
  7. The stage directions for Every Brilliant Thing begin with:

“The houselights are on full and will remain so throughout. There is no set. The audience are seated in the most democratic way possible, ideally in the round. It is vital that everyone can see and hear each other.” 

Designs for the play have ranged from a bare stage to a living room to a theatre filled with multicolored streamers. How would you describe the environment set designer Izumi Inaba and director Kimberly Senior crafted in the theatre? What goals do you think were behind those creative choices?