Meet the Team: Every Brilliant Thing to Tour in 2024

The Festival is proud to announce the inspiring production of Every Brilliant Thing will once again sweep the state of Utah in 2024. 

With the intention of “cultivating the use of proactive, life-affirming communication when you or those you love are confronted with depression,” this is one of the most critical pieces of work the Festival has ever produced, according to Director of Development and Communications Donn Jersey. 

“This tour is about saving lives,” Tour Manager Jordan Simmons said. 

The tour begins January 4 and concludes March 23. 

“Young people need the affirmation that they are not alone. Each and every student that will watch this production will be reminded that they are needed, they are loved, and they belong here,” Governor Spencer J. Cox said.

The Plot 

The story begins when, at seven-years old, the lone character learns that their mother is in the hospital after her first attempt to take her own life. Afterwards, they begin a list––a list of everything brilliant about the world, everything worth living for. With humor and inventiveness, the story explores depression and hope, uncertainty and change, relationships and solitude, risk and resilience, guilt and forgiveness.

Meet the Team 

Britannia Howe - Director
Howe directed The Greenshow in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2023, as well as Cymbeline in 2021. She is returning to the Festival this 2024 season with three new Greenshow scripts, inspired by the plays that are being produced in the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. 

She has also worked at Illinois State University, Utah State University, and Illinois Shakespeare Festival to name a few. Howe received the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National Directing Fellowship in 2011, and has taught at Illinois State University, Southern Utah University, and for the Festival’s Playmakers and Actor Training programs. 

Howe received a Master of Fine Arts in Directing from Illinois State University, as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Classical Acting and Theatre Education from Southern Utah University.

Jordan Simmons - Tour Manager 
Simmons is returning as tour manager, having held the same position for the 2019/2020 and 2023 tours of Every Brilliant Thing.

“Every Brilliant Thing offers hope to those who may be struggling and in need of connection. This play provides a platform in which students can begin critical conversations with their parents and mental health professionals,” Simmons said. 

He was the stage management administrative assistant and scheduler for the 2023 season at the Festival. Before that, he was the production assistant for the Festival’s mainstage production of Every Brilliant Thing as well as Twelfth Night in 2019. He has also been the production assistant for The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mamma Mia at Pacific Conservatory Theatre and the stage manager for Part of the Story for Salt Lake Acting Company. 

Simmons received a Master of Fine Arts in Arts Administration from Southern Utah University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design and Technology from Utah State University. 

Kathryn Whilden - Stage Manager 
This is the second time Whilden is stage managing for the Festival’s production of Every Brilliant Thing. 

Whilden received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Spanish from Wofford College. Previously at the Festival, she was the assistant stage manager for Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical, The Play That Goes Wrong, The Sound of Music, and Clue.

Whilden has also worked for Cape Fear Regional Theatre, Triad Stage, and Clinton Area Showboat Theatre. 

Meet the Actors

Although this is a one-person show, the touring company consists of two actors, which means they alternate each performance. When not acting, each also helps the stage manager with production duties.

Marco Antonio Vega 
Vega hit Festival stages this past season as Snout in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Paris in Romeo and Juliet. In previous years, he was in The Comedy of Errors, Richard III, and Henry V, to name a few. Vega is a recipient of the Festival’s Michael and Jan Finlayson Acting Award (2017). 

Vega has also been Puck/himself in William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) at Reduced Shakespeare Company and boasts teaching credits from Utah Tech University. 

He received a Bachelor of Arts from Southern Utah University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of San Diego. 

Angelique Archer 
“There are very few instances in life where you can make an immediate impact on the future generation. This tour is one of those instances,” Archer said. “Every Brilliant Thing, and the conversations it will create, will save lives.”

Although Archer is new to the Festival, this isn’t her first educational tour. She has been on tour with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company in Macbeth, Twelfth Night, and Julius Caesar, among others. She also performed in Cato at Clarence Brown Lab Theatre, The Taming of the Shrew, and Little Women at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and more. 

Archer also has film and television credits, having been in Monica, You Have No Idea, and Truth. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Economics from Hamilton College. 

“This show reminds students that they are not alone and provides them with resources to talk about their mental health struggles and get the help they need,” Archer said. “I became an artist because of the change theatre can make that will continue long after the play has ended. This show is a perfect example of the power and importance of this art form. It is a privilege to be a part of this tour and to bring this message to communities all over Utah.”

For more information on the play, click here for the study guide. 

The touring company began rehearsals December 4, although they’ve attended meetings and trainings before arrival. To keep both the company and audience members as informed and safe as possible, the team participated in several suicide prevention trainings, such as QPR Institute Gatekeeper Training and “Talk Saves Lives” by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, presented by the Utah County Health Department.

Funded by the State of Utah, the Every Brilliant Thing Tour is free to any secondary education school in Utah that is interested. The production is in partnership with SafeUT and with the support of Governor Cox. 

“Our partnership with SafeUT is crucial to our success, as SafeUT provides immediate and confidential access to licensed counselors who are ready to listen to any crisis or concern through the SafeUT app,” Simmons said. 

For tour questions, contact Simmons at brillianttour@bard.org.