Duncan Macmillan’s ‘Lungs’ and ‘Every Brilliant Thing’: an intimate theatrical experience

As the couple navigate the qualms of their relationship, the two often find themselves losing their breath. Yet they press forward, whether it is love, joy, or will fuel them. Lungs is an accurate depiction of loving, not because but despite. But nobody can hold their breath forever, and when someone crumbles, so does the entire relationship. Though our feelings may be valid, our actions aren’t. “There are a lot of important and poignant lines in the show. I love the final montage/dialogue where we see their relationship spanning several years. We see their trajectory as a couple, as parents, as human beings who are just trying to be good people,” shared Jose.

Everything about the play was true to the original, albeit with a few localisations. “I believe our job as artists/performers is to stay truthful and faithful to the text. We should always return to it and allow it to guide and ground us. Duncan gave us the liberty to localise references in the show, but we remained faithful to the text and core of the show throughout,” said Jose. The set was also minimalistic, only containing eight boxes transforming per scene. Story elements like time passing were conveyed through dialogue and how the actors moved, leaving the audience to imagine the scene.

Every Brilliant Thing

What makes you happy? Can you name them all? For the seven-year-old unnamed protagonist—portrayed by Gawad Buhay Award Winner, Kakki Teodoro, alternating with Teresa Herrera and Jon Santos—in Every Brilliant Thing, the first brilliant thing that comes to mind is ice cream, followed by water fights and staying up past your bedtime. These are a few things that a child of a suicidal mother finds brilliant and worth living for. And as time goes on, the list grows exponentially.

In a quest to spread the message of hope amidst mental illness, The Sandbox Collective took a leap of faith with Every Brilliant Thing. Its theme of finding joy in little things and appreciating each day is relevant to Filipinos now more than ever. 

For instance, when Teodoro attends a support group to process her mental health, she begins by saying, “I haven’t done this. Pinoy kasi ako.” While it invoked laughter among the audience, this seemingly throwaway punchline highlighted a systemic problem within our communities. Filipinos were trained to be resilient. Mental health has always been stigmatised, and getting help isn’t easy.

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Teodoro’s story growing up is just like any other child’s. She liked music, books, made friends in school and even fell in love. But the thought of her mother’s chronic depression looms over her, always in her subconscious. She originally started listing the brilliant things in the world to help cheer her mother up, but as time passed, it became her escape. The list grew to a hundred thousand, and she couldn’t stop finding things that made her happy. In a way, it was like a distraction from her problems. 

Perhaps the most unique thing about the performance was that Kakki was seemingly the only character in her play. Beforehand, the audience was given pieces of paper with ridiculously high numbers and a brilliant thing. That hinted audience’s participation, but what surprised everyone every time was when she would talk about a key person in her life and look straight at someone from the audience who fits the description. Teodoro would then smile and ask them to play impromptu that role for a scene or more. Sometimes lines and instructions were given, but most of the time, the audience member would have to adlib. And it’s this kind of interaction that makes the play unique. Every show is different, and every response could shift the narrative slightly. This isn’t just asking the viewers to yell out the word from a piece of paper. It sparked engagement and laughter like no other. This was audience participation done right. “It is always memorable if the audiences surprise me--whether with a kiss or when they say something back that brings me to tears. . .After the show, many people sent messages on my FB and Instagram or talked to me in person to share that the show made them feel seen and validated their thoughts and feelings. To them, this show felt like therapy. Some would thank me because the material gave them hope, and others shared that they lost a loved one to suicide and that the show spoke to them and soothed their hearts. Others felt good to be in a safe space for them to feel their feelings and cry their anxieties out,” said Teodoro.

SANDBOX FEST 2023 will run at the Zobel de Ayala Recital Hall, 2/F Maybank Performing Arts Theater in BGC, Taguig City from June 17-July 15, 2023. Get your tickets at premier.ticketworld.com.ph.

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