KPBS Midday Edition

Depression, Suicide Are Themes Of Uplifting Play

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Pat Finn / Producer

Published August 30, 2018 at 8:43 AM PDT

This story was published more than 6 years ago.

Actor Ro Boddie is seen in a promotional photo for "Every Brilliant Thing."

Depression, Suicide Are Themes Of Uplifting Play

Depression, Suicide Are Themes Of Uplifting Play GUESTS: Rob Lutfy, director, "Every Brilliant Thing" Deborah Skvarna, licensed therapist, Vista Hill Foundation

If a playwright wanted to write a warm and humorous play that would leave the audience feeling pretty darn good, depression and suicide would probably not be the themes chosen.

Those subjects are front and center in Duncan Macmillan's one-man play, "Every Brilliant Thing," which opened this week at Cygnet Theatre in Old Town.

Somehow the play lets the audience come away both amused and uplifted. Part of the reason may be that the audience actually participates in the play, playing roles and keeping items on a list of all the reasons to live — every brilliant thing.

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In coordination with the Vista Hill Foundation and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), several of the performances will be followed by an audience talk-back with the director, Rob Lutfy, and a licensed therapist.

Rob Lutfy and Vista Hill therapist Deborah Skvarna talk about "Every Brilliant Thing" on Midday Edition.

Corrected: December 15, 2024 at 3:25 AM PST

The Vista Hill Foundation is a KPBS supporter.

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Pat Finn

Pat Finn previously served as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition. Finn began her career in broadcasting at KTLA and KCET in Los Angeles. In 1979 she became KPBS’ Public Information Director, then Director of Advertising and Promotion, Program Director, and Director of Broadcasting. She oversaw the station’s local and national productions, including the one-hour documentary Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar, and Child Protective Services, a one-hour look inside the San Diego County agency responsible for the welfare of at risk children. Both programs also aired on public television stations nationwide. Finn has earned honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

See stories by Pat Finn