Connecting with the audience is the reason live theater exists. Without you, it’s just another rehearsal. For theater-goers who have been yearning for the vibrant connection that can only happen when we’re in the same place, it feels so good to be back.
I cannot think of another play that better demonstrates the unique give and take that exists between actor and audience than Every Brilliant Thing. With David Kelly captaining the ship, your theatrical voyage is sure to be filled with delight, emotion, laughter, and sheer entertainment.
As this year draws to a close, I am reflecting on Rogue Theater Company’s accomplishments in 2022. In addition to our stellar season, we are dedicated to improving your theater experience. To that end, we have installed stage lighting, a state-of-the-art sound system, and varied levels of seating for better viewing. Because of the demand for more performances, we will increase to 5 shows a week for a three week run beginning with our first play in February, 2023. Plus, we're adding more talkbacks.
As we continue our journey through the world of thought-provoking, character-driven, intimate theater, we are so grateful to have your company for the adventure. We hope you enjoy the ride.
Lights up!
Jessica Sage, RTC’s Artistic Director
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Since I began working on this play I’ve found myself thinking of my own brilliant things. Sitting at a stoplight or in line at the grocery store, random moments of appreciation for life’s small moments of joy cross my mind. “When the traffic lights are timed so perfectly that when you approach a stretch they each turn green before you have to brake.” “When you have exact change and use that last penny that’s been rolling around the bottom of your bag for ages.” It is so easy to focus on life’s’s many irritations. (I won’t give examples. We all have them.) But the exercise of focusing on little joys, especially those that involve other humans, feels like an antidote to the anger, fear and loneliness that permeates so much our current social climate.
Our play’s nameless protagonist discovers that depression is complex and the list is not a means of persuasion or a solution to his mother’s terrible pain. But the list becomes a behavior for him--a way of looking at the world. A way of experiencing and processing his life.
People are still sad. The narrator comments that if you go through life without at some point feeling crushingly sad, you aren’t paying attention. We are not being asked to ignore the complexities of mental health. But as we sit around a metaphorical campfire and listen to music and tell this story together, we encourage each other to see the little joys, count our blessings and make connections. And that very simple act helps us experience life more richly and fully.
Caroline Shaffer, Director
