Actor Michael Doherty directs an uplifting play for school children

The aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, feeling the cool ocean breeze on a hot sunny day, listening to a babbling brook, watching the clouds move, the sound of laughter, the embrace of a child and eat an ice cream cone with multicolored sprinkles. This is a short list of everything shiny in the world. Anything worth living for.

On April 29 and 30, the Sedona International Film Festival will present Every Brilliant Thing at the Mary D. Fisher Theater at 4 p.m. SIFF executive director Patrick Schweiss said he’s been trying to bring this one-man show to Sedona for years.

The show will also be performed at Sedona Red Rock High School, Verde Valley School, Mingus Union High School and Camp Verde High School to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month in May. .

I have worked for four years to bring this production of Every Brilliant Thing to Sedona, as I wanted to convey its vital message to our residents and our schools. I especially wanted to do it with this actor, the extraordinary Michael Doherty, Schweiss said.

Schweiss discovered Every Brilliant Thing at the Utah Shakespeare Festival when actor and comedian Doherty was starring in the production.

The audience was absolutely blown away by his [Dohertys] performance and with the piece’s vital message, Schweiss noted. The State of Utah was so impressed with the production that it awarded the Utah Shakespeare Festival a huge grant to take the production to all high schools in the state of Utah to perform. free for all students who desperately need to hear this uplifting message. .

It has the power to change lives and help anyone who may be experiencing episodes of depression, which is so prevalent among our young people.

Based on real and fictional stories, Every Brilliant Thing is told in collaboration with the audience, telling how hope can be achieved by focusing on life’s smallest miracles. The play was written by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe and opened at the Ludlow Fringe Festival in England in 2013. The North American premiere took place on December 6, 2014 at the Barrow Street Theater in New York.

Doherty said the performance tells a very compelling story in less than 90 minutes. While it’s fast, funny, and well-written, he continues to be amazed by the audience’s openness and ability to comfortably discuss his personal experiences with depression and, in many cases, suicide.

I feel incredibly lucky to be doing something that inspires people to open up like this, Doherty said. What is most amazing is that everyone talks about its healing nature [the performance]. I have yet to receive a response like, it was not good for me, it hurt me, or it opened up painful memories for me. It’s always like, thanks for talking about it, I feel like I’m not crazy, I wasn’t alone and a lot of crying and a lot of hugging.

Doherty discussed the unique connections he can make with audience members while exploring this sensitive topic.

The question we often ask ourselves is: has this happened to you? I’m like, No, this is a play that was written by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe, and it wasn’t my own experience, he said. Sometimes people feel disappointed or betrayed because they totally bought [the performance] for one hour and 10 minutes. But the truth is, while I haven’t personally been affected by my own suicidal ideation, I believe everyone knows someone who has struggled, and that’s very, very true for me.

Doherty also spoke about his own experiences with depression and said he had a strong family support system.

I think we all struggle with dark thoughts to some degree and there have been times in my life when my situation was so dire that finding a way out was incredibly difficult. I’m also very lucky to have a really strong support system. But I also think the answer doesn’t quite speak to the other side, which is that mental health issues are so tricky, he said.

My dad of the family was always telling stories and laughing constantly, Doherty added. They’re very supportive, they come to see a lot of my work, and it’s really sweet and they were always having fun. I always say nobody parties like the Dohertys because it’s a real trip with them.

Doherty thinks Every Brilliant Thing is a play everyone should see. However often I can do it, for anyone listening, I feel like it could actually make the world a better place, he said.

Doherty noted that the piece was life-changing and unlike any other performance he has done. He’s used to doing comedy, Off-Broadway, and regional plays across the country.

He created a mystical Dungeon & Dragons podcast and won the Barrymore Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, Theater Bay Area and Critics Circle Awards for Best Performance in a Play, and the Festival Award for freelance television for writing.

When I interact with people after the show, I find myself in such a different emotional state than I was before, Doherty said. Because now I feel like I’m serving them, and for the piece, I feel like this vessel of human emotion.

While this piece has the power to change lives and influence the future of young people and their families, Schweiss also reiterated that every adult needs to see this piece; each student must experience his message. It’s hilarious and funny while delivering a powerful and heartfelt message, Schweiss said. It will make you think of every shiny thing in your own world that makes life worth living. It’s a theatrical experience unlike anything you’ve seen before. Truly moving and inspiring.

“Every Brilliant Thing” will make you think about all that life has to offer.

When asked to share some of his brilliant things that are worth living, he replied: The most obvious is to act, to do the thing that I love to do. My cats are taken everywhere; they’re coming to Sedona with us. My wife Alex, we’ve known each other for 15 years, and my last kitchen, I was literally terrified to try until the pandemic. I like doing it now; it’s actually therapeutic for me, and it’s my new love language.

For tickets and more information, call (928) 282-1177 or visit www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.

The school’s performance is due to the sponsorship of Health First Foundation Northern Arizona, Arizona Community Foundation, and Linda Goldenstein.