(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Acclaimed London-based actor Rohan Tickell is bringing his extraordinary talent to Cape May's award-winning, Equity professional East Lynne Theater Company, to star in Duncan Macmillan's globally celebrated play Every Brilliant Thing, running July 31 to August 30, 2025 at the new Clemans Theater for the Arts.
Directed by international award-winning Director Dierdre McLaughlin, the one-man play explores mental health with deep compassion, a lot of humor and, most of all, hope. To extend the conversation beyond the stage, East Lynne is hosting four “Talkback Thursdays” with a panel of mental health professionals discussing different aspects of mental wellness.
Every Brilliant Thing is an exceptionally funny show that presents a serious topic in a charmingly masterful way. At its essence, the play is an exploration of joy and a testament to hope. Staged in the round, Every Brilliant Thing begins with Tickell as a 6-year-old boy whose mother has been hospitalized. To raise her spirits, he proceeds to create a list of all the things worth living for – ice cream, Kung Fu movies, shooting milk out of your nose from laughing too hard. As he ages, his list grows. The play is surprisingly humorous and immersive, inviting select audience members to participate in the narrative, thus creating a sense of communal celebration in the many small but brilliant things that make life worth living.
Every Brilliant Thing runs 7:00pm Wednesdays to Saturdays from July 31 through August 30, with a preview performance 7:00pm on July 30. Tickets are $40 general admission, $35 seniors, $25 students and military. Shows will take place at the new Clemans Theater for the Arts (717 Franklin Street) in Cape May, New Jersey. For tickets and information, go to EastLynneTheater.org.
Internationally renowned artist Rohan Tickell is a classically trained actor, singer and director with over 40 years of professional experience in performing and teaching. His career spans projects as diverse as Shakespeare and cabaret, to starring roles in some of the world’s most-beloved musicals on London’s West End including Les Misérables, Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, and Rock of Ages, and many more.
Tickell has performed throughout Europe, Asia and Australia, and has frequently worked with Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Really Useful Group. He toured in the concert production The Three Phantoms, and has performed in concert with Seiji Ozawa at the baton.
As a highly sought after director/trainer/coach, Tickell currently guests at the sharp end of actor training as a visiting professional at Royal Central, LAMDA and Mountview. His past ventures have led him to teach and direct at Rose Bruford, Italia Conti, Trinity Laban amongst other notable institutions. His most recent long-term appointment was seven years as head of acting and voice on ArtsEd, London’s renowned flagship Musical Theatre course. He holds a Master’s degree in actor training and coaching from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and is committed to a dynamic, reflexive relationship between his pedagogical approach and ongoing acting practice, with a core focus on developing practical and artistic agency in his students.
Rohan Tickell
“To have Rohan Tickell on stage at the Clemans Theater for the Arts, and to collaborate with such passionate community partners for our ‘Talkback Thursdays,’ is beyond our wildest dreams,” said Boberick. “Our community has always been incredibly supportive of East Lynne Theater Company, so these free Talkback Thursdays are a way of giving back to them.”
Organizations involved in Talkback Thursday panels are: South Jersey Veterans Administration Suicide Prevention Coalition; the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional, and Stockton University. Talkback Thursdays will take place following productions on August 7, 14, 21, and 28.
* August 7: “Breaking the Silence: Men’s Mental Health & Vulnerability” a conversation with the South Jersey Veterans Administration Suicide Prevention Coalition
* August 14: “Brilliant Things: Practicing Everyday Joy and Resilience” with Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional
* August 21: “Mental Health in the Family: Listening, Loving, Supporting” with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
* August 28: “Creative Coping: The Arts and Mental Health” with Tara O'Keefe, MA, LCADC, RDT, CTP, Addictions Counselor Supervisor at Stockton University.
Audience attendance is optional.
“I am certain that our audiences will be enthusiastically surprised by how unique and uplifting this show is and will leave the theater feeling an immense sense of hope and joy,” said Boberick.
Founded in 1980, East Lynne Theater Company has been named by The New York Times as one of the Top 75 summer theaters in North America and recognized by the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly as “one of the state’s most important cultural treasures.” In 2023, understanding that the American Theater is itself a growing work of art, East Lynne expanded its mission to “present and preserve America’s theatrical heritage” by including plays about America today. As the company expands into the Clemans Theater, so does its calendar, which will offer year-round entertainment that includes plays and performances from worldwide writers, actors, musicians, and more.
