Manassas

The play follows a child who begins compiling a list of “every brilliant thing” worth living for—ice cream, water fights, staying up late—after their mother’s suicide attempt. As the child matures, the list continues, evolving into a deeply moving reflection on love, mental illness, and human connection.

Directed by ARTfactory Producing Artistic Director Kimberly Kemp, the production stars David Johnson as the storyteller. Johnson, a longtime ARTfactory actor and director, has had his sights set on this play for years. “I remember (in 2017) telling the theatre arts director of the ARTfactory about this breathtakingly beautiful play and how badly I wanted to do it in the theatre on the third floor of the ARTfactory,” Johnson states in a press release. The project finally came to fruition when Kemp expressed her desire to direct it in 2022.