A “Brilliant” thing is happening across Southwest Virginia this November.
University of Wise senior Luke Sage, a native of Atkins and graduate of Marion Senior High School, will be touring the internationally acclaimed one-man show “Every Brilliant Thing,” written by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe. Shows will be in Wise, on the UVA-Wise campus, at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion and at the June Bug Center in Floyd.
The play, a drama and dark comedy that takes on the serious issues of depression, suicide and the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love, was first produced in 2013.
The play starts with ice cream. When a 6-year-old boy’s mother attempts suicide, he begins to write down the small things that will help her realize that life is worth living. Ice cream is No. 1 on the list. Over the course of a lifetime trying to define and capture happiness, the list of brilliant things becomes thousands of entries recited by participating audience members.
Despite its grim and important subject matter, the play has routinely been praised as an uplifting and magical night of theatre.
Now a senior at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Sage is not stranger to the stage.
He fell in love with performing in the second grade – the moment he wowed a hundred or so classmates at Atkins Elementary School with a couple of magic tricks. Later that year, he had his debut performance in the school’s production of “Annie Jr.”
Along the way to the professional stage, Sage has taken on roles ranging from Teach in “American Buffalo” and Stanley in “A Streetcar Named Desire” to Judge Turpin in “Sweeney Todd” to Ariel in “The Tempest.”
The Marion Senior High School graduate made his professional stage debut at 18, playing Cap Hatfield in “Sally McCoy” in Pikeville, Kentucky.
Now 21, Sage has also ventured into the film world, including a lead role in the 2021 feature “Royal Ashes.” Other screen credits include supporting roles in “The Life and Times of Joshua James” in Grand Rapid, Michigan, and the role of Justice Pierce Jr. in the New Orleans-filmed “Divine Intervention.” He has also worked as an extra in several television shows, including “Hightown” and “Outer Banks.”
The Atkins native is also a musician, performing with the Crowe Hollerers, the band he formed in high school with his brother. The band routinely performs in Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia.
In the summer 2021, Sage showcased two days of music, storytelling and theatre as part of the Crowe Hollerers’ Medicine Show. The show, which was presented in Marion and in Wise, premiered two short plays and featured musicians from Maryland, Virginia and Tennessee.
“Every Brilliant Thing” will open at the black box theatre at UVA-Wise on Wednesday, Nov. 2, and Thursday, Nov. 3. Tickets are available at the door.
The performance at Marion’s Lincoln Theater will be Friday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. The Lincoln is offering free admission.
The performance at Floyd’s June Bug Center will be Saturday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. To get tickets, go to https://www.junebugcenter.com/. Tickets will also be available at the door.
