Duncan MacMillon’s acclaimed play earns greater applause with touring production
McGRATHPR.com – Deertrees Theatre, Maine’s most enchanting playhouse, presents Duncan MacMillon’s critically acclaimed play “Every Brilliant Thing” on Friday and Saturday, August 26 and 27, 7:30 pm, and on Sunday, August 28, 3 pm, at 156 Deertrees Road, Harrison. The production stars Mary Beth Murphy in the one-person show, directed by David Costa. Deertrees has served the Greater Maine region since 1936 offering an eclectic summer season of entertainment, featuring theatrical productions and comedies, family shows, concerts annually from June through early September. Tickets to all performances are available at deertrees-theatre.org.
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Acclaim for “Every Brilliant Thing”
Play Nominations: Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Solo Performance;
Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Solo Show
Production Nominations: DASH Awards, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Production
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Duncan MacMillon’s critically acclaimed play “Every Brilliant Thing” is a life-affirming story about the strength inside all of us and how to delight in the everyday. This heart-warming, one-person show tells the story of a woman who started a list of “brilliant things about the world” as a little girl to ease her mother’s depression. She continues the list as an adult, and discovers it has a great impact on her life. Enlisting the audience to tell the story, witness how “Every Brilliant Thing” shares how to achieve hope by focusing on life’s smallest miracles, and pulls back the curtain on the lengths we go to for those we love. “Every Brilliant Thing” is much more than a play, according to Director David Costa. “It’s an interactive, theatrical experience that shines a light on one of the most powerful things we can do – focus on all the positive things in our lives, rather than the negative.” Performed in Massachusetts earlier this year, the production earned several nominations from the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theater’s Distinguished Achievement and Special Honors (DASH) Awards, with the recipients anticipated to be announced later in August.
When discussing actress Mary Beth Murphy, Costa shares “I knew she was the perfect person for this play – a strong actor, but more than that, someone who is reflective, unafraid to be vulnerable, and understands the human spirit. Although this piece can be extremely challenging for the best actors, Mary Beth rises to that challenge. Audiences experience a very special performance, leaving the theater uplifted and with the reminder that there are many brilliant facets of life to celebrate.”
At Deertrees, “Every Brilliant Thing” takes place in the Salt Lick Café cabaret space. Patrons will be seated on stage and in the Art Gallery, limited to 70-seat capacity. The production is sponsored by Jane Curran and Gail Bowen.
Founded in 1936 originally as an opera house by prominent opera singer/director Enrica Clay Dillon, Deertrees Theatre has been home to Broadway stars and local actors, world-acclaimed musicians, and aspiring students. Nestled in the beautiful foothills of Southern Maine’s lake region in the town of Harrison, historically serving as a secluded retreat for artists. The acoustically perfect theatre is set in one of the nation’s most idyllic locations, boasting a rose hemlock wood structure harvested from the property, featuring hand-carved beams, doors, trim and light fixtures. The building, in stages of restoration since 1990, is now listed on Maine’s State Register of Historic Landmarks and on the National Registry of Historic Places. Deertrees offers classical music Tuesday evenings in July, The Backstage Art Gallery featuring the works of local artists, and The Salt Lick Café, offering cabaret acts, small bites, beer, wine and canned cocktails.
Tickets to “Every Brilliant Thing” are $26, seating is limited to cabaret capacity. Please note that “Every Brilliant Thing” explore topics related to depression and suicide. All ticket prices include a $2 Heritage Fee that supports the ongoing restoration and improvements of Deertrees Theatre. For more information, visit deertrees-theatre.org, email gail@deertrees.org, call 207-583-6747 or follow Deertrees Theatre on Facebook and Instagram.
About Deertrees Theatre
Founded in 1936 as an opera house, Deertrees Theatre was built on the site of an old deer run in the forest above the village of Harrison, Maine. Constructed of rose hemlock in the Adirondack style with hand carved fixtures and near perfect acoustics, the theatre has long been home to Broadway-quality entertainment.
Now listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, the non-profit Deertrees Theatre presents an eclectic offering of theatrical productions and comedies, family entertainment, and a variety of musical concerts during the quintessential summer theater season annually from late June through early September. As a most active performing arts venue of the Northeast, Deertrees is home to the Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival on Tuesday evenings in July, The Backstage Art Gallery featuring the works of local artists, and The Salt Lick Café, offering cabaret acts, small bites, beer, and wine.
Deertrees Theatre is located at 156 Deertrees Road, Harrison, Maine. For more information, visit deertrees-theatre.org, email gail@deertrees.org, or follow Deertrees Theatre on Facebook and Instagram.
