Three thousand people die everyday by suicide according to the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
Despite being touted as the one of the happiest countries in the world, the Philippines has the highest number of depressed people in Southeast Asia, with the Global Burden Disease Study in 2015 revealing that 3.3 million Filipinos suffer from depression, with suicide rates of 2.5 percent in males and 1.7 percent in females. Department of Health earlier reported that suicide rates in the country have risen in 20 years, from 1992 to 2012.
Stigma associated with mental health continues to plague the country, albeit mental health awareness is a topic which more people are becoming more interested in participating. Many organizations and individuals are sparking conversations on this topic in safe spaces and forms.
The Sandbox Collective and 9 Works Theatrical are staging the first Philippine production of “Every Brilliant Thing,” a one-character play by Duncan Macmillan that tells the story of a child who writes a list of things in the world that makes life worth living—ice cream, water fights, staying up past bedtime, watching TV—every time their mother comes back from the hospital trying to commit suicide.
Told through the eyes of an individual who faces their mother’s depression, the story captures not only the struggles that people face in those situations but also shows the amazing capacity the human spirit has for finding happiness in the smallest of things.
“Every Brilliant Thing” hopes to stir conversation and educate audiences on mental health around the world through theater. It had been staged in locations across the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, and South Korea. It also had been filmed for an HBO documentary in 2016.
The Philippine debut of the play stars Teresa Herrera and will be directed by Jenny Jamora—veering from the traditional male lead character in a bid to show that the story’s message knows no culture or gender.
“Mental health affects everyone at some point at some degree and we should take responsibility for our actions. We have to respect this story. It’s about life,” said Herrera.
The play features a unique format wherein the audience is included in the performance as the lead character breaks through the fourth wall and interacts with the viewers as the narrative plays out.
Also unique to this play are the post-show discussions wherein The Sandbox Collective invites several mental health experts to have a dialogue about the topic for the audience. This allows the theme of mental health to be further understood and explored in the space of openness, acceptance, and healing.
They will also be promoting support groups, suicide hotlines, mental health consultations, and various coping mechanisms to raise awareness with audiences.
“I want people to have an encounter, to find their way through this issue,” said Toff de Venecia, artistic director of the Sandbox Collective. “Suicide and mental health needs to be understood.”
Every Brilliant Thing will premiere on Feb. 2 at the Zobel de Ayala Recital Hall, Maybank Performing Arts Theater, 26th Street cor. 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City.