Therapy through Theatre: Duncan Macmillan’s Every Brilliant Thing

Abstract

This paper analyses Every Brilliant Thing (2013) by the contemporary British playwright Duncan Macmillan with regard to grief and bereavement theories. The main focus here is the meaning reconstruction during grief and bereavement period in the light of the ideas of psychiatrists such as Sigmund Freud, William Worden, Dennis Klass and Robert A. Neimeyer. The study examines, on the one hand, the loss of meaning, existential questioning and suicidal depression of the chief character in the play whose mother commits suicide; on the other, reconstruction of meaning and self in bereavement period through interactive stand-up comedy. Focusing on the latest developments in clinical studies about meaning reconstruction and their successful outcomes in grief and bereavement period after a tragic loss through expressive arts, the paper discusses whether theatre, an expressive art, can be used as a laboratory or a clinic in solving contemporary social and individual problems. In this sense, Macmillan’s play provides us with fruitful information about new trends of the contemporary theatre. The purpose of the paper is to discuss the role of theatre in the healing process of diseases that are related to modern life respecting social responsibility that is a common tendency of contemporary theatre.

Keywords

• Creative Arts and Writing

Files

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References

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3. Freud, S. (1955). Mourning and Melancholia. In J. Strachey (Ed.), The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Volume XIV (1914-1916): On the History of the Psycho-Analytic Movement, Papers on Metapsychology and Other Works (pp. 237-258). London: The Hogarth Press.
4. Hall, C. (2017). Bereavement theory: recent developments in our understanding of grief and bereavement. Cruse Bereavement Care, 31(1), 7-12.
5. Jordan, J. R. and Mcintosh J. L. (2011). Is suicide bereavement different? Perspectives from research and practice. In R. A. Neimeyer, D. L. Harris, H. R. Winokuer & G. F. Thornton (Eds.), Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society: Bridging Research and Practice (pp. 223-235). London: Routledge.
6. Klass, D., Silverman, P., Nickman, S. (Eds.). (1996). Continuing bonds: new understandings of grief. London: Taylor and Francis.
7. Love, C. (2014, 23 September) Duncan Macmillan: theatre at its best is an intervention. Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/sep/23/duncan-macmillan-theatre-every-brilliant-thing-lungs-2071. Access date: 7 June 2019.
8. Macmillan, D. (2015, 17 November) Every Brilliant Thing: Duncan Macmillan- 2016 Perth International Arts Festival. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKxDFSI-LKA. Access date: 25 May 2019.
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11. Neimeyer, D. L. Harris, H. R. Winokuer & G. F. Thornton (Eds.), Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society: Bridging Research and Practice, (pp. 9-23). London: Routledge.
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13. Pearlman, L. A. (2016) Building self capacities. In R. A. Neimeyer (Ed.), Techniques of Grief Therapy: Assessment and Intervention (pp. 179-182). London: Routledge.
14. Rynearson, E. K., & Alison S. (2011) Restorative Retelling: Revising the Narrative of Violent Death. In R. A. Neimeyer, D. L. Harris, H. R. Winokuer & G. F. Thornton (Eds.) Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society: Bridging Research and Practice (pp. 177-189). London: Routledge.
15. Thompson, B. E., & Berger, J. S. (2011) Grief and Expressive Arts Therapy. In R. A. Neimeyer, D. L. Harris, H. R. Winokuer & G. F. Thornton (Eds.) Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society: Bridging Research and Practice (pp. 303-315). London: Routledge.

Cite this publication

@article{pala2021therapy,
  author = {Pala, Yavuz},
  title = {{Therapy through Theatre: Duncan Macmillan's Every Brilliant Thing}},
  journal = {Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters},
  volume = {38},
  number = {2},
  pages = {348--356},
  publisher = {Hacettepe {\"U}niversitesi},
  year = {2021},
  issn = {1301-5737},
  doi = {10.32600/huefd.715238},
  url = {https://hacettepe.hbtech.com.tr/en/publication/therapy-through-theatre-duncan-macmillans-every-brilliant-thing},
  language = {en},
  keywords = {Creative Arts and Writing},
  abstract = {This paper analyses Every Brilliant Thing (2013) by the contemporary British playwright Duncan Macmillan with regard to grief and bereavement theories. The main focus here is the meaning reconstruction during grief and bereavement period in the light of the ideas of psychiatrists such as Sigmund Freud, William Worden, Dennis Klass and Robert A. Neimeyer. The study examines, on the one hand, the loss of meaning, existential questioning and suicidal depression of the chief character in the play whose mother commits suicide; on the other, reconstruction of meaning and self in bereavement period through interactive stand-up comedy. Focusing on the latest developments in clinical studies about meaning reconstruction and their successful outcomes in grief and bereavement period after a tragic loss through expressive arts, the paper discusses whether theatre, an expressive art, can be used as a laboratory or a clinic in solving contemporary social and individual problems. In this sense, Macmillan's play provides us with fruitful information about new trends of the contemporary theatre. The purpose of the paper is to discuss the role of theatre in the healing process of diseases that are related to modern life respecting social responsibility that is a common tendency of contemporary theatre.},
  affiliation = {ATAT{\"U}RK {\"U}N{\.I}VERS{\.I}TES{\.I}}
}

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Pala, Yavuz
TI  - Therapy through Theatre: Duncan Macmillan’s Every Brilliant Thing
T2  - Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters
VL  - 38
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PY  - 2021
SP  - 348
EP  - 356
PB  - Hacettepe Üniversitesi
SN  - 1301-5737
DO  - 10.32600/huefd.715238
UR  - https://hacettepe.hbtech.com.tr/en/publication/therapy-through-theatre-duncan-macmillans-every-brilliant-thing
AB  - This paper analyses Every Brilliant Thing (2013) by the contemporary British playwright Duncan Macmillan with regard to grief and bereavement theories. The main focus here is the meaning reconstruction during grief and bereavement period in the light of the ideas of psychiatrists such as Sigmund Freud, William Worden, Dennis Klass and Robert A. Neimeyer. The study examines, on the one hand, the loss of meaning, existential questioning and suicidal depression of the chief character in the play whose mother commits suicide; on the other, reconstruction of meaning and self in bereavement period through interactive stand-up comedy. Focusing on the latest developments in clinical studies about meaning reconstruction and their successful outcomes in grief and bereavement period after a tragic loss through expressive arts, the paper discusses whether theatre, an expressive art, can be used as a laboratory or a clinic in solving contemporary social and individual problems. In this sense, Macmillan’s play provides us with fruitful information about new trends of the contemporary theatre. The purpose of the paper is to discuss the role of theatre in the healing process of diseases that are related to modern life respecting social responsibility that is a common tendency of contemporary theatre.
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