Every Brilliant Thing at Garden Theatre

September 8 - 24, 2023

By Duncan Macmillan With Jonny Donahoe

With JOHN O’HURLEY

EVERY BRILLIANT THING was first produced by Paines Plough and Pentabus Theatre, on 28 June 2013 at Ludlow Fringe Festival. The play had its North American premiere at Barrow Street Theatre, New York, on 6 December 2014, where it was presented by Barrow Street Theatre and Jean Doumanian Productions.

Every Brilliant Thing

EVERY BRILLIANT THING is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. (www.dramatists.com)

NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR

The poetry of Every Brilliant Thing speaks for itself. In the arts it is important to know whom you serve. I try as best I can to be a playwright’s director, a director’s actor, and an actor’s playwright realizing that all of us serve our co-creator, the audience. I have tried my best to get out of the way and allow the poetry of the play to speak for itself. I am grateful to Victory Productions for assembling such a wonderful team led by our actor John O’Hurley and our stage manager Herbert Welch. Any deficiencies you might find in your experience would be my fault alone.

The thematic material of Every Brilliant Thing is both personal and important to me. I imagine that is also so for some participating in the production, some among our audience, and some within our community.

We have partnered with Renew Counseling, along with groups like the Samaritans mentioned in the play. They are always available to all communities, 24/7, seven days a week. You may read more about their work here: https://988lifeline.org/

Peace be with you.

Bobbie Bell Director

This production is presented in one act; there will be no intermission.

As a courtesy to our performers and audience members, please mute and put away all cell phones and other personal electronic devices during the show. Smoking of any kind, including e-cigarettes, is prohibited within the building.

THE VIDEOTAPING OR MAKING OF ELECTRONIC OR OTHER AUDIO AND/OR VISUAL RECORDINGS OF THIS PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTING RECORDINGS OR STREAMS IN ANY MEDIUM, INCLUDING THE INTERNET, IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED, A VIOLATION OF THE AUTHOR(S)’S RIGHTS AND ACTIONABLE UNDER UNITED STATES COPYRIGHT LAW.

THE CAST

JOHN O’HURLEY*

THE PRODUCTION TEAM

Director ............................................................................................................................. BOBBIE BELL

Stage Manager .........................................................................................................HERBERT WELCH

Assistant Stage Manager / Wardrobe Coordinator ................................ LAUREN SCARBOROUGH

Assistant Stage Manager / A2 ..........................................................................CAMERON HOUSTON

Sound Design.........................................................................................................PETER LUTRINGER

Audio Operator ..............................................................................................SOL-ANTONIO RAMOS

Lighting Design ......................................................................................................... RYAN GRAVILLA

Lighting Programmer ....................................................................................... WAYNE LINDERMAN

Light Board Operator ................................................................................................ MADISON WEST

Props Master ....................................................................................................... LINDA ROMANELLO

VICTORY PRODUCTIONS CREATIVE TEAM

Executive Producer ............................................................................................ FERNANDO VARELA

Technical Director.................................................................................................PETER LUTRINGER

Production Manager ............................................................................... RITA D’ANGELO TIKADOR

Producer & Marketing Director..................................................................................KEITH HINSON

Company Manager........................................................................................ MARINA CALDARELLA

Creative Director ....................................................................................................... MICHAEL EVANS

Administrative Assistant ................................................................................... LINDA ROMANELLO

*The Actor appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Who’s Who in the Cast

JOHN O’HURLEY* Award-winning actor John O’Hurley has catapulted into one of television’s busiest and most versatile actor/show host, Broadway star, advertising hero, as well as being a New York Times bestselling author and Billboard chart-topping composer. O’Hurley is best known as “J. Peterman” on “Seinfeld” which is now the #1 syndicated show in the world and can be seen in 85 countries. John won a Screen Actors Guild Award for his work on “Seinfeld.” It was O’Hurley’s unique portrayal of the wry and witty “J. Peterman” that led to dozens of advertising campaigns for companies earning him multiple advertising and marketing industry awards. Most recently he won Best Actor at the NY Television Festival for his performance in the title role of “The Tramp.” He captured America’s heart with his turn on Season 1 of “Dancing with the Stars,” where he officially won the ABC series with the highly contested “Dance Off“ and was named one of People Magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive.”

O’Hurley is now the regular host of NBC Sports highest-rated yearly show, “The National Dog Show presented by Purina,” a twenty-year-old Thanksgiving tradition to more than 30 million viewers, as well as “The Beverly Hills Dog Show” airing on NBC in Spring. He was also host of the long-time popular game show “Family Feud” and “To Tell The Truth.” One of the most recognizable voices in entertainment, he is the voice of many animated characters like King Neptune on “SpongeBob Square Pants” and the Mayor Doofenshmertz on Disney’s hit “Phineas and Ferb.”

On Broadway and on stages across the country, he is best known for his many performances as King Arthur in Monty Python’s “Spamalot” and his continuing portrayal of slick lawyer, Billy Flynn in the Broadway legend “Chicago,” which earned him Best Actor status in the city of Chicago in 2011. His current one-man touring show, “A Man With Standards” was nominated as Broadway World’s Best Celebrity Show.

As a composer/pianist, both of his albums “Secrets From The Lake” and “Peace Of Our Minds” have reached the Billboard charts. His three books have all been Amazon and New York Times Best Sellers.

His unusual versatility as both entertainer and businessman continues to be the focus of many features in magazines like Business Week, Time and INC. magazines. In addition, life imitates art for him as John is now the business partner of the J. Peterman Company, along with the real J. Peterman. He is the co-founder of Energy-Inc., which has created a unique waste-to-energy technology used internationally.

In 2012, he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in recognition for his accomplishments in the Arts and Philanthropy.

John lives in Beverly Hills with his wife Lisa and their son, William.

*The Actor appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Who’s Who in the Creative Team

BOBBIE BELL (Director) is a playwright/composer/director/actor working out of Central Florida for the past 40 years. This is his first directing assignment for Victory Productions. He previously directed for the Garden Theatre another script by Every Brilliant Thing’s playwright Duncan Macmillan, 1984, during Rob Winn Anderson’s tenure as artistic director. He has been selected as Orlando Sentinel’s Critic’s Choice for comedy direction with Outside Mullingar and for drama direction with Marcus, Or the Secret of Sweet. His acting credits with Victory Productions include Shylock in Something Rotten!, Arvide Abernathy in Guys and Dolls, and Henry, the Old Actor, in The Fantasticks. His other most recent acting work has been with Jeremy Seghers in The Woman in Black for which he received the Orlando Sentinel’s Critics Choice award for Best Lead Actor in a Drama. With the Orlando Ballet under the artistic direction of Fernando Bujones he performed the character roles of Sancho Panza in Don Quixote and Doctor Coppelius in Coppélia. As a playwright he has twice won the Florida Playwright’s Festival for his plays Pascua de Flores and Of: A Play of Artemis. His short play Abaciscus 20 was produced at Valencia College last April. As a composer his most recent work has been composing three hours of original music for The Women of Pompeii project in conjunction with the Orlando Science Center’s “Pompeii: The Immortal City.”

HERBERT WELCH (Stage Manager) is delighted to be returning to the role of Production Stage Manager, following Dreamgirls. Herbert is from the Central Florida area. A couple of recent credits include: Dreamer’s Cafe, Captain This, and A Chorus Line to name a few. Herbert attended Missouri Valley College for Musical Theatre! He would like to thank his friends, family, and team for their love and support! If you would like to follow Herbert’s journey, follow him on Instagram @Herbertwelchi

Every Brilliant Thing

Every Brilliant Thing

Every Brilliant Thing

Every Brilliant Thing

Rebecca Roper Proscenium Arch

There is a physical space in the theatre that serves as a bridge between the audience and the actors. It is called a proscenium arch - a gateway and connector. The proscenium of the Garden is named in honor of our Founding Board President’s volunteer service since March 2003, her leadership, and a passion for the arts that changed a community.

Box Office Info

Tickets are available online at gardentheatre.org or by calling 407-877-GRDN (4736). Discounts available for parties of 10 or more. For more information call 407-877-4736 ext. 208 or jean@gardentheatre.org.

Due to the nature of live performance, events, performers, dates, and times are subject to change. Seating policy – All late seating will be at the discretion of the House Manager and cannot be guaranteed. Please arrive early.

House Rules – Any photography, audio, or video recording of this performance is strictly prohibited. House management reserves the right to remove disruptive guests. No outside food or drink; no concessions will be offered at this performance.

Accessibility – Kindly arrange any special needs, including wheelchair accessible seating, with the Box Office staff. House management will provide assisted listening devices upon request.

Returns and Exchanges – There are no refunds on tickets to Garden Theatre events. All sales are final. There is a $5 exchange fee on ticket orders. Ticket exchanges must be made at least 24 hours prior to the performance. No credit will be given. Subscribers are exempt from this fee.

Restrooms – Restrooms are located on the second floor via the grand staircase through the double doors near concessions. The lobby restroom is meant for those guests with difficulty accessing the second floor.

Every Brilliant Thing

Root Donors

Just as roots are vital to a garden’s growth, our Root Donors are vital to Garden Theatre’s prosperity. Donors who are acknowledged through permanent recognition on our donor tree have contributed $5,000 or above to the Garden Theatre Restoration Campaign between 2004 and January 15, 2015, OR have bestowed a one-time cash donation of at least $10,000. The gifts of these donors contribute to future developments and growth of the Garden Theatre for years to come.

Anonymous A. Friends’ Foundation

ABC Fine Wine & Spirits

Advent Health

Avie and Jeanne Abramowitz

Annette and George Spigener

Bill and Nancy Yarger

Bob and Dianna Duffy

Cappleman, Inc.

City of Winter Garden

Charles W. and Wesley McMillan

Clarence Otis and Jacqueline Bradley

Danniel Petro

Darden Restaurants Foundation

Diamond R Fertilizer

DL Foundation

Dr. P. Phillips Charities

Dr. William and Phaedra Steele

Duke Energy

Harold and Rosy Mills

Harriett’s Trust

David Baldree and Derek Carter

Diana and Fred Chambers

Freddi and James Goodrich

Isabel G. Brislenn

Jack Holloway Foundation

Jack H. Ross Groves, Inc.

John C. Walsh in Memory of Deborah Smith Walsh

John and Sharyn Murphy

Keene Properties, Inc.

Keith Davenport

Larry and Harriette Grimes

Mary and Dick Nunis

McAllister Foundation

Morgridge Family Foundation

Orange County Arts and Cultural Affairs

Orlando Health

Publix Super Markets Charities

R.C. Kesslers

Raymer and Dean Maguire

Rebecca Roper

Ronald W. Sikes

S.C. Battaglia Foundation

Luminary Circle ($2,000+ Gifts)

Nancy Juron

Steven Kittendorf

Becky Roper and Mike Soucy

Producer’s Club ($1,000+ Gifts)

State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture

State of Florida Historic Preservation

SunTrust

The Bond Foundation

The Brown Family Foundation

The Martin Andersen-Gracia Andersen

Foundation

The Roper Family Foundation, Inc.

Tim’s Wine Market

United Arts of Central Florida

Universal Orlando Foundation

Valencia College

Valencia Foundation

Walt Disney World

Ward Britt Family

Whitney Morse

Winifred and Joel Sharp

Winter Garden Community Redevelopment

West Orange Junior Service League

Jean and Chris Boone

David and Nancy Deskins

Edward and Laura Firth

Ingeborg Gross Hoagland Law

Rosemary O’Shea

Featured Star ($500+ Gifts)

Roper Family Foundation

Rotary Club of Winter Garden

Keith Smith and Marc Caglia

James D. Atchison

William and Kathy Barrett

Katherine Dellacasa

Randy Griswold

Matthew Jassak

Kim Kiraly

James and Sarah Martin

Maria Rubin

Cassandra Stefanovic

Stacia Lynn Wake

Resident Artist ($150+ Gifts)

Kathryn Ustler

Carol and Van Sher

Alice Williams and Debby Zutter

Joseph Warren

Wayne Weinberg and Amy Pempel

Phyllis and Leighton Yates

Richard Akers

George Albu

Kristy and Barry Altland

Melinda Antalek

Dick and Andrea Batchelor

Chad Bratschi

Jacob Bucciarelli

Christopher and Kristine Bunnell

Tom Carto

Richard and Jill Devins

Joanne Garner

Glenn Herbert Hansen

Larry Henrichs

Walt and Sue Herscher

Shannon and Corey Hoagland

Elizabeth Johnson

Junebug Foundation

Richard and Martha Kessler

Jens Klingen

Christopher Laue

Michael Lewellen

Greg Mason

Jimmy Mattos

Geoffrey Moehl

Kenneth and Susie Ng

Debra O’Grattan

Shirley K Piercy

James Plugh and Robin M Back

Donna K. Raymond

Lanny Reddick

David and Joyce Romano

Nick and Jane Ronan

Pat Schroeder

John Spears

Pamela Spears

Abbe Smith

Vernon Swartsel

Richard Taylor

This list includes all gifts and committed pledges as of June 1, 2022 in support of the Garden Theatre’s 2023-2024 season of programming. We apologize for any errors or omissions. Every Brilliant Thing

JOIN OUR GARDEN PATRON PROGRAM

Annual Giving Donor Benefits

Your essential contribution allows us to invest in our community arts with programs of excellence.

$150+ | Resident Artist

• Recognition on donor list in the Playbill and the Garden Theatre Website for one year.

$500+ | Featured Star

• Recognition on donor list in the Playbill and the Garden Theatre Website for one year.

• Ticket fees waived on all purchases during donation year.

• Invitations to select Preview performances with preperformance receptions

$1,000+ | Producer’s Club

• As a Producer’s Club member, you will enjoy access to Garden Theatre artists and the artistic process; you will get to know the people of Garden Theatre and what makes them tick.

• Recognition in donor list on the Playbill and the Garden Theatre Website for one year

• One free ticket with purchase of a single ticket.

• Ticket fees waived on all purchases during donation year.

• Invitations to select Dress Rehearsal performances.

• Invitations to select Preview performances with preperformance receptions.

$2,500+ | Director’s Club

• As a Director’s Club member, you will enjoy all of the benefits of the Producer’s Club to include access to Garden Theatre artists and the artistic process; you will get to know the people of Garden Theatre and what

Community Partners

makes them tick. Your support will also be featured monthly on our social media outlets.

• Recognition in donor list on the Playbill and the Garden Theatre Website for one year

• One free ticket with purchase of a single ticket.

• Ticket fees waived on all purchases during donation year.

• Invitations to select Dress Rehearsal performances.

• Invitations to select Preview performances with preperformance receptions.

• Monthly social media recognition

$5,000+ | Luminary Circle

Luminary Circle members enjoy additional exclusive benefits for engaging, behind-the-scenes experiences of the Theatre and its programs. You will hear firsthand how and why directors, designers, and actors make the choices they make. Luminary Circle members enjoy all the exclusive benefits of the Producer’s and Director’s Club plus:

• Four complimentary tickets to a Garden Theatre production.

• Invitation(s) to backstage tour to select season productions.

• Additional opportunities throughout the year to engage with theatre leadership and theatre artists.

• Hosted, exclusive dinner for four(4) at a Plant Street Restaurant with a member of the theatre’s Creative/ Executive team to discuss the Garden’s vision and partnering opportunities.

This project is funded in part by Orange County Government through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support for Garden Theatre is provided by generous individual donors and United Arts of Central Florida, home of OrlandoAtPlay.com and UAArtsEd.com.

EDGEWATER HOTEL

Every Brilliant Thing

Every Brilliant Thing

Staf f & Board

OUR STAFF

Keith Davenport Chief Organizational Officer

Brian Fallon Theatre Operations Manager

Amanda Payne Director, Education and Community/ Front of House Manager

Nancy Deskins Development Manager

Oceas Rodriguez Technical Director

Jean Boone Group Sales Manager

Accessibility Coordinator

Olga Hosszu Box Office Lead

Box Office Associates:

Lanny Reddick

Kate Reilly

Jodi Stuart

Erica Nowak House Manager

Kim Kiraly Volunteer Coordinator

OUR BOARD

Rich Taylor Board Chair

David Baldree Vice Chair

Todd Wheeler Treasurer

David J. Romano, Ph. D. Secretary

Lauren Cardona

Diana Chambers

Matthew E. Jassak

Steve Martin

Gregory S. Mason

Jeffery B. Redding

Keith Smith Immediate Past Board Chair

Wayne Weinberg

Becky Roper Emeritus Trustee Founding Board President

Barbara Roper In Memoriam Emeritus Trustee & Founder

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers. You are the heart of the Garden Theatre!