Every Brilliant thing
WRITTEN BY DUNCAN MACMILLAN, WITH JONNY DONAHOE
DIRECTED BY MEREDITH MCDONOUGH
LETTER FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
EVERY BRILLIANT THING is quite unlike anything you’ve seen at the Jungle before. This beautiful play is performed with the audience, not at them – or in the case of the last 20 months, despite having no audience at all. It is perfect for this moment as we welcome you back to the Jungle Theater.
As we travel with the Narrator from childhood into adolescence and adult life, EVERY BRILLIANT THING traces their relationship to their mother’s mental illness. The Narrator’s list created through this timeline recounts the hope that is found, lost and recovered throughout their journey.
I realized how much the list had changed the way I see the world. - Narrator
We keep waiting for some normalcy to return, but maybe that’s not the point. The point is that we are forever changed by what we experience. Joy, pain, comedy, tragedy—all these things bump up against each other, and we bear witness to it through our laughter and tears. We are reminded that we carry these experiences with us, we are changed, and it is okay.
Negotiating the new normal of being together requires a lot. At the core, the hope and compassion of this play and in this performance is how we will succeed. The laughter, the tears—they are both welcome and natural and sometimes, how we get through each day. EVERY BRILLIANT THING recognizes that we are better together, simply inviting you to relax and remember the joy of sharing a story in the same room.
CHRISTINA BALDWIN
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
CAST
JuCoby Johnson*
Joy Dolo*
(Thursday Performances)
CREATIVE & CREW
Scenic & Costume Design by Mina Kinukawa
Lighting Design by Marcus Dilliard•
Sound Design by Montana Johnson
Stage Manager/Properties John Novak*
Production Manager Matthew Earley
Technical Director John Lutz
Production Assistant/Crew Charlie Holm
Head Electrician Ray Steveson
Head of Wardrobe Amber Brown
Scenic Charge Artist Jeni Raddatz Tolifson
Assistant Sound Designer Mikayla Finnegan
Sound Technicians Nick Fetting, Micah Kopecky
Board Operator Micayla Thebault-Spieker
COVID Compliance Officer Barry Inman
Carpenters Julia Reisinger, Kent “Boris” Kilmer•, Whitley Cobb, Dave Salmonson•
Electricians Karin Olson, Andy Glischinski
Sound Consultant Sean Healey
SPECIAL THANKS
Jessica Fisch for her knowledge and advice
NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
3M
Every Brilliant Thing contains descriptions of depression, self-harm, and suicide. The show briefly describes a character’s attempted suicides and her death by suicide and includes the specific means that were used.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 | Crisis Text Line: Text MN to 741741 | For more resources, visit www.namimn.org
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22 | Noon - 1:30 pm
Please join the Jungle Theater and NAMI for a free virtual suicide prevention course.
Learn the three steps anyone can take to help prevent suicide. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives.
Register today for this free, virtual event https://bit.ly/3vgRsJf
EVERY BRILLIANT THING was first produced by Paines Plough and Pentabus Theatre, on 28 June 2013 at Ludlow Fringe Festival. The play had its North American premiere at Barrow Street Theatre, New York, on 6 December 2014, where it was presented by Barrow Street Theatre and Jean Doumanian Productions.
EVERY BRILLIANT THING is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.
* These actors and stage managers are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
+ Member of IATSE; the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States. The IATSE is the labor union representing technicians, artisans and craftspersons in the entertainment industry, including live theatre, motion picture and television production, and trade shows.
• Member of USA; United Scenic Artists. United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE, is a labor union and professional association of Designers, Artists, Craftspeople, and Department Coordinators, organized to protect craft standards, working conditions and wages for the entertainment and decorative arts industries.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Be sure to stop by our BRILLIANT THING WALL after the show to write your own contribution on a Post-it® Super Sticky Note (donated by 3M).
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
JuCoby Johnson
He/Him
JuCoby Johnson grew up in Jacksonville, FL, moved to the Twin Cities in 2011 and has been creating there ever since. He has been seen onstage at The Guthrie Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Jungle Theater, Theater Latté Da, Theater Mu, Ten Thousand Things Theatre Company, and many more. His plays include How It's Gon Be (Underdog Theater, 2019), ...but you could've held my hand (Developed at the 2020 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference), 5 (2021 O'Neill NPC Finalist, Seven Devils Finalist), I'll Be Seeing You Again (Jungle Serial Audio Series, 2021) and Revelations (Playing On Air, 2021). He is a 2021-2022 McKnight Fellow in Playwriting and an Artistic Associate at The Jungle Theater.
Joy Dolo
Thursday Performances | She/Her
Dolo is an Artist in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Performatively, she has worked on stages all over the Twin Cities for over a decade and she is super excited to be back at the Jungle Theater! She is a teacher at North Hennepin Community College and an Improviser. She is a co-founder of Blackout Improv, the first all-black improv group in MN and also Host American Public Media’s podcast “Forever Ago”, a history show for kids! She is a writer/performer for APM's Smash! Boom! Best! She is recognized through City Pages as 2018 Artist of the Year, an Ivey Award, and a MN Theater Award. She is very grateful to share space with all of you tonight. Cheers!
Duncan Macmillan
Playwright | He/Him
Duncan Macmillan is an award-winning playwright and director. Plays include: People, Places and Things, National Theatre, Headlong, West End; 1984, Headlong, Nottingham Playhouse, Almeida, West End, International Tours; Every Brilliant Thing, Paines Plough, Pentabus, Barrow Street, HBO, International Tours; Lungs, Studio Theatre, Paines Plough, Sheffield Theatre, Various Productions Worldwide; 2071 co-written with Chris Rapley, Royal Court, Hamburg Schauspielhaus; Atmen, Schaubühne Berlin; The Forbidden Zone, Salzburg Fesitval, Schaubühne Berlin; Reise durch die Nacht adapt. Friederike Mayröcker created with Katie Mitchell and Lyndsey Turner, Schauspielhaus Köln, Theatertreffen Berlin, Festival d’Avignon; Wunschloses Unglück adapt. Peter Handke, Burgtheater Vienna; Monster, Royal Enchange/Manchester International Festival. Awards include: Best New Play at the Off West End Awards 2013 for Lungs; the Nestroy Preis for Best German Language Production, 2013. His work with director Katie Mitchell has been selected for Theatertreffen and Festival d’Avignon. Duncan was also the recipient of two awards in the inaugural Bruntwood Playwriting Competition, 2006. 1984 was nominated as Best New Play at the Olivier Awards, 2014 and won the UK Theatre Award for Best Director (Duncan Macmillan and Robert Icke).
Jonny Donahoe
Playwright/Comedian | He/Him
Jonny Donahoe was born in 1983 in Dublin, Ireland. While he is well known for many of his creative projects, he is best known for being the frontman for the comedy band Jonny and the Baptists. Further showing his comedy chops, Donahoe frequently performs as a stand-up comedian. His writing career expands further than just his collaboration with Macmillan for Every Brilliant Thing. In addition, he wrote 30 Christmases, which premiered at The Old Fire Station in Oxford and then moved to the New Diorama Theatre in London, and he has an upcoming series called Josie and Johnny Are Having a Baby (With You), which will air on the American Podcast Network (http://www.jonnydonahoe.co.uk/). This is a collaboration between Donahoe and his partner, Josie, as they await the arrival of their first child. Donahoe is known for blurring the line between art and real life. Donahoe has received a couple of award nominations for his performances. In 2014/2015, he was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo show for Every Brilliant Thing. This show had a very successful run off-Broadway in New York City. (https://www.bard.org/study-guides/brilliant-playwrites-3ep9w)
MEREDITH MCDONOUGH
Director | She/Her
Meredith McDonough was the associate artistic director at Actors Theatre of Louisville for seven seasons where favorite directing includes both parts of Angels in America, Peter and the Starcatcher, and The Last Five Years. In the Humana Festival she directed the premieres of Marginal Loss, Dot, brownsville song (b-side for trey) and Airness, amongst others. Regionally, favorites include The Lily’s Revenge with Taylor Mac (Magic Theatre), Noises Off (Guthrie), Fair Use (Steppenwolf), Eurydice (Williamstown), and the musical Summer of ’42 and the US premiere of NSFW (Roundhouse). She was the New Works Director for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Education: Northwestern; MFA, UCSD.
Mina Kinukawa
Scenic & Costume Design | She/Her
Mina is a scenic designer who was born and raised in Tokyo. She worked for theatres in Portland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Detroit, and Milan, Italy before moving to Minnesota. In Minnesota, she has worked with theatres such as Penumbra Theatre, Theater Mu, Park Square theatre, New Native Theatre, Full Circle Theater, Pangea World Theater, Stages Theatre company, Interact Center, and Jungle Theater (The Oldest Boy, Small Mouth Sounds, and Shine A Light Festival in 2020). She also enjoyed working for several film productions while living in Los Angeles. She is a faculty member at Macalester College in Saint Paul.
Marcus Dilliard
Lighting Design | He/Him
Marcus has designed for theatre and opera across North America and in Europe, most recently seen as the lighting designer for the Jungle Theater's A Doll’s House Part 2, Penumbra Theater’s White Card, Dallas Theater Center’s Little Women and Theatre Latte Da’s All Is Calm. Other designs for the Jungle include Ride the Cyclone, Miss Bennet and The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley, The Children and Little Women. He has designed numerous productions for the Guthrie Theater, Minnesota Opera, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, The Moving Company, Theater Latté Da, Penumbra Theatre, Minnesota Orchestra, Children’s Theatre Company, Ordway Music Theater, Minnesota Dance Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. Marcus is the recipient of an Ivey Award, a Sage Award, and two McKnight Theater Artist Fellowships. He is a professor in the department of Theatre Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota and is a graduate of Boston University’s School for the Arts.
JOHN NOVAK
Stage Manager/ Properties | He/Him
After graduating with honors from St. Olaf College in 1989, John began a nomadic career as a technician and opera stage manager, crisscrossing the nation until he found a home at the Jungle Theater in 1997. Since then, he has collaborated on more than 100 Jungle productions as stage manager and/or properties manager. His other home is in the Central neighborhood of Midtown Minneapolis, which he shares with his spouse, the multi-talented creator and performer Bradley Greenwald.
Montana Johnson
Sound Designer | She/Her
A Minneapolis native (South High, class of 95!), Montana has worked as a freelance designer and technician in the Twin Cities for the past 16 years. She previously designed the Jungle’s production of You Can’t Take it With You. Other credits include, Park Square Theatre; Holmes and Watson (upcoming), Theatre Mu; Fast Company, The Guthrie Theatre: Juno and the Paycock, Skiing on Broken Glass and Embers. Yellow Tree Theatre; Cry it out, Grace, and Next to Normal. Mixed Blood Theatre: Barbeque, An Octoroon, and Passing Strange. Montana received her MFA from California Institute of the Arts and teaches Sound Design and Audio Technology at The University of Minnesota. www.montanajohnsondesign.com
Charlie Holm
Production Assistant/Crew | He/Him
Charlie is a production assistant based mainly out of Minneapolis, returning for their fifth year at the Jungle Theater. Graduate of MCTC, they spend their time outside of the theater scene as a seamstress for fashion and cosplay, and as a regular panelist at Convergence, speaking on the intersections of pop culture, philosophy, and social justice.
Jeni “Jen-I (eye)” Raddatz Tolifson
Charge Scenic Artist | She/Her
Jeni has been painting scenery for the Jungle since 2018: Little Women (back wall and floor), Full Sets: The Wickhams, The Children, The Wolves, School Girls, Small Mouth Sounds, Stinkers, Ride the Cyclone, Miss Bennet, and A Doll’s
House, Part 2. She has also collaborated with Theater Latté Da (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Bernarda Alba, A Little Night Music), Park Square Theatre (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Pride and Prejudice), Artistry (The Bridges of Madison County, Victor Victoria), Mixed Blood, Yellowtree, Lyric, and other
various stages in the Twin Cities. She obtained her training working as a scenic artist for the Denver Center Theater Company working on shows for the DCPA for over a decade. Jeni is also a professional freelance muralist, sign painter, and logo designer. An animal loving, aspiring Master Gardener, novice punk musician, and upcycled jewelry maker, she moved back to her home of MN in 2018 (after 20 years in Denver, CO) with her amazing husband, hilarious stepson, and nutty bischon.
ABOUT THE SHOW
From Duncan Macmillian’s Author’s Notes
Every Brilliant Thing is a collaboration between myself, George Perrin and Jonny Donahoe. It is an adaptation of my short story “Sleeve Notes”, originally written for the Miniaturists and performed by Rosie Thomson at Southwark Playhouse, Theatre503 and the Union Theatre and by myself at Trafalgar Studios, the Old Red Lion and Village Underground, by Gugu Mbatha-Raw at 93 Feet East and by various people at the Latitude Festival. George and I worked for over a decade to turn it into a full-length play. During this time it has been through several incarnations, including an installation created by Paul Burgess and Simon Daw for Scale Project. This particular incarnation was developed with Paines Plough and Pentabus with support from Anne McMeehan and Jim Roberts. The play wouldn’t exist were it not for George’s persistence, his enthusiasm for the story and his openness to work in an entirely new way.
It also owes a particular debt to Jonny Donahoe who, drawing on his experience as a stand-up comedian, found ways to tell the story and use the audience that George and I couldn’t have conceived of. By its nature, the play is different every night and, as such, Jonny essentially co-authored the play while performing it.
This text was published after two years of devising, several trial performances around the UK, runs in Edinburgh and London and a four-month run at the Barrow Street Theatre in NYC. It has been filtered through Jonny’s interactions with hundreds of audiences. I’ve provided footnotes throughout to explain certain aspects of the play in performance and to give examples of some of the things that have happened unexpectedly.
CREATING OUR STAGE
We've transformed the theater! Creating the unique intimacy of the stage and seating configuration for EVERY BRILLIANT THING required the brilliance and expertise of our entire team: director, designers, production manager, carpenters, and electricians. The play is intended to be performed in the round, so the actor can interact easily with the audience and vice versa. But in our new COVID-aware world, we need to ensure some physical distance, and our REDWOOD set is in place on our stage, eagerly awaiting its return to the spotlight next year. We're absolutely thrilled with the results, and we marvel at the talents of the people who build the physical world this beautiful play inhabits.
ABOUT THE JUNGLE THEATER
The Jungle Theater creates courageous, resonant theater that challenges, entertains, and sparks expansive conversation. As a neighborhood theater with national impact, the Jungle focuses on telling stories that matter, with deep care and attention to detail. The Jungle is deeply rooted in its Lyn Lake neighborhood in Minneapolis and plays a vital role in the economic and cultural development of the area. The Jungle was founded in 1991 by Bain Boehlke and counts among its credits a dozen Ivey Awards and numerous top production awards from critics.
Photo by Dan Norman, (FEATURING GABRIELLE DOMINIQUE, JORDAN M. LEGGETT, BECCA HART, JOSH ZWICK, SHINAH BRASHEARS; RIDE THE CYCLONE 2019)
OUR MISSION
The Jungle Theater creates courageous, resonant theater that challenges, entertains, and sparks expansive conversation.
OUR VISION
To be a neighborhood theater with national impact, indispensable to our community and aspirational to the field.
OUR VALUES
STORIES MATTER
Because we believe in the power of live theater to interrogate and celebrate our shared experience, we create work that helps our audience make meaning of the world and deepen connections with each other.
ARTISTRY IS A HABIT OF ATTENTION
Because we believe that exquisitely crafted theater makes us feel more alive and calls to our highest potential, we pursue beauty in our work by practicing care and attention to detail in all that we do.
A PLAY ISN’T COMPLETE WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE
Because we see our audience as our final collaborators, and because we believe meaningful encounters demand intimacy, we strive to make the Jungle a place where all are welcome and everyone is home.
A GREAT THEATER CARES FOR ITS PEOPLE
Because the work we make and share depends on human time, labor, and love, we are committed to being good to one another. This means we challenge one another creatively, value each other’s time and talent, and collaborate in a spirit of good will and abundance.
JUNGLE THEATER STAFF
Artistic Director | CHRISTINA BALDWIN
Managing Director | ROBIN GILLETTE
Artist and Audience Services Manager | BARRY INMAN
Advancement & Artistic Associate | ALISON RUTH
Marketing Manager | CARLY CAPUTA
Finance Manager | FIONA ROBINSON
Production & Facilities Manager | MATTHEW EARLEY
Season Stage Manager | JOHN NOVAK
Artistic Cohort | SEQUOIA HAUCK, JUCOBY JOHNSON, JAMES RODRÍGUEZ, ANGELA TIMBERMAN
Development Consultant | DON SOMMERS
Front of House | Heather Baldwin, Rossi-Anne Jaffe, Anika Barland, Zach Staads, Kendra Buro, Nick Haug
JUNGLE THEATER BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Board Chair | BEN SCOTT
Board Vice Chair | JULIANE RAY
Treasurer | BARBARA KLAAS
Secretary | DAVID DOBMEYER
Members:
Erika Eklund | Andrea Fike | Kelly Kita | Karl Lambert | Nancy Monroe | Erin Oglesbay | Peter Scherf | Brian Shea | Marcia Stout | David Weinstein
THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS DONORS
The Jungle extends our gratitude to the many supporters who help bridge the gap between annual operating costs and ticket sales. Thank you for making another season of engaging, provocative theater possible.