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In partnership with Virginia Stage Company, Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts presents Every Brilliant Thing in the Birdsong Theater for two free performances on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at 7 PM. Every Brilliant Thing is a one-hour play that speaks openly about depression, mental illness, and suicide. Suffolk Center invites the community to attend this immersive free performance during May Mental Health Awareness Month.

Every Brilliant Thing is an immersive experience that blends comedy, improv, and audience interaction to tell one individual’s story of growing up in the shadow of their mother’s struggle with suicidal depression while also learning to grapple with their own journey and life experiences. Surprisingly charming and delightful, Every Brilliant Thing provides a life-affirming jolt of humanism, reminding us that hope comes from the miracles of life’s minutiae.

The aim of Every Brilliant Thing is to destigmatize the conversation around mental health and encourage the audience to see the many ways in which we all experience joy and hardship. Mental health professionals from the Western Tidewater Community Services Board will be available at

‘Every Brilliant Thing’ to offer their thoughts on mental health challenges facing our community today and share information about mental wellness resources in Suffolk.

Virginia Stage Company and Sentara Healthcare present the road tour of Every Brilliant Thing, written by Duncan Macmillan with Johnny Donahoe. Financial support from Sentara Healthcare enables Virginia Stage Company to produce 20 performances of this deeply impactful play about mental health free of charge in communities across Virginia.

“Behavioral health is among the most pressing health care needs of our time,” says Nedra Moncrief-Craig, Sentara director behavioral health services. “Sentara Healthcare convened a system task force last year to strengthen our Behavioral Health services. Supporting a meaningful play such as Every Brilliant Thing aligns with our effort to destigmatize mental health and reassure patients that it is okay to ask for help.”

Every Brilliant Thing is recommended for students in grades seven and higher only. Admission is FREE on Wednesday, May 15, at 7 p.m. Seats are set up ‘in the round’ of the Birdsong Theater stage. Guests are asked to register in advance by calling the Box Office at 757-923-2900 or online at https://suffolkcenter.org/performances_events/every-brilliant-thing-3/. The Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts is located in downtown Suffolk, 110 W. Finney Ave.