EVERY BRILLIANT THING Comes to East Lynne Theater Company

Acclaimed London-based actor Rohan Tickell is bringing his talent to Cape May’s East Lynne Theater Company, to star in Duncan MacMillan’s play “Every Brilliant Thing,” running July 31 to Aug. 30, at the new Clemans Theater for the Arts. Directed by international award-winning Director Dierdre McLaughlin, the one-man play explores mental health with deep compassion, a lot of humor and, most of all, hope. To extend the conversation beyond the stage, East Lynne is hosting four “Talkback Thursdays” with a panel of mental health professionals discussing different aspects of mental wellness. 

“Every Brilliant Thing” is an exceptionally funny show that presents a serious topic in a charmingly masterful way. At its essence, the play is an exploration of joy and a testament to hope. Staged in the round, “Every Brilliant Thing” begins with Tickell as a 6-year-old boy whose mother has been hospitalized. To raise her spirits, he proceeds to create a list of all the things worth living for – ice cream, Kung Fu movies, shooting milk out of your nose from laughing too hard. As he ages, his list grows. The play is surprisingly humorous and immersive, inviting select audience members to participate in the narrative, thus creating a sense of communal celebration in the many small but brilliant things that make life worth living.

Internationally renowned artist Tickell is a classically trained actor, singer and director with over 40 years of professional experience in performing and teaching. His career spans projects as diverse as Shakespeare and cabaret, to starring roles in some of the world’s most-beloved musicals on London’s West End including “Les Misérables,” “Cats,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Mamma Mia,” and “Rock of Ages,” and many more. Tickell has performed throughout Europe, Asia and Australia, and has frequently worked with Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Really Useful Group. He toured in the concert production “The Three Phantoms,” and has performed in concert with Seiji Ozawa at the baton.

“To have Rohan Tickell on stage at the Clemans Theater for the Arts, and to collaborate with such passionate community partners for our ‘Talkback Thursdays,’ is beyond our wildest dreams,” said Boberick. “Our community has always been incredibly supportive of East Lynne Theater Company, so these free Talkback Thursdays are a way of giving back to them.”

Organizations involved in Talkback Thursday panels are: South Jersey Veterans Administration Suicide Prevention Coalition; the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional, and Stockton University. Talkback Thursdays will take place following productions on Aug. 7, 14, 21, and 28. 

• Aug. 7: “Breaking the Silence: Men’s Mental Health & Vulnerability” a conversation with the South Jersey Veterans Administration Suicide Prevention Coalition
• Aug. 14: “Brilliant Things: Practicing Everyday Joy and Resilience” with Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional
• Aug. 21: “Mental Health in the Family: Listening, Loving, Supporting” with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Aug. 28: “Creative Coping: The Arts and Mental Health” with Tara O'Keefe, MA, LCADC, RDT, CTP, Addictions Counselor Supervisor at Stockton University.

Audience attendance is optional.

“I am certain that our audiences will be enthusiastically surprised by how unique and uplifting this show is and will leave the theater feeling an immense sense of hope and joy,” said Boberick.

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