Every Brilliant Thing coming to Narrogin Town Hall this month

“If you get through your entire life without ever once feeling crushingly depressed ... then you probably haven’t been paying attention.”

That is the quote behind an award-winning show coming to Narrogin.

Performed by Luke Hewitt and directed by Adam Mitchell, Every Brilliant Thing is billed as a heart-warming comedy about depression.

Running at Narrogin Town Hall on August 19, the play has been performed for almost a decade after starting life as a short story called Sleeve Notes by Duncan Macmillan.

Its longevity could be put down to how it handles the sensitive subject of depression.

The play does not shy away from the struggles of life with a debilitating mental health condition, instead using humour and audience participation to explore the subject.

“It’s a unique kind of show for a performer. It feels more like telling a story to people who’ve come around for dinner than performing a show,” Hewitt said. “It’s unique for the audience, too ...

“They are included in the telling of it, which I feel magnifies that feeling of a shared experience, of familiarity, of understanding.”

Every Brilliant Thing begins when the narrator’s family pet, Sherlock Homes, is euthanised, leaving the narrator’s world spinning with the then-six-year old having their first experience of grief.

As the play continues the audience follows the narrator’s struggles, revolving mainly around a mother struggling with depression. In an attempt to find balance, they start building a list of every brilliant thing worth living for, like ice-cream and the music of Ray Charles.

“It’s funny, it’s sad, its heart-warming all mixed together... I’ve never done anything like this before and that’s exciting,” Hewitt said. “There are serious roles, comic roles, musical roles, romantic roles, dramatic roles but this includes all of these at times throughout the story.”

Contact Arts Narrogin for tickets.