Watch Leighton Buzzard actor perform 'hilarious' and 'heart wrenching' play to raise money for Mind

Aidan MacBride-Stewart - who has starred in productions of Chess, Fiddler on the Roof and Blood Brothers – is inviting people to watch Every Brilliant Thing at Sacred Heart Parish Hall, Beaudesert, on Friday, March 7.

The play has been hailed as both "heart wrenching" and "hilarious" by Guardian critic Lyn Gardner – and Aidan needs 100 audience members to reach his target of £500.

He said: "The play is about a little boy who copes with his mother's depression and writes a list of positive things she can look for in the world. It's hopeful, but it deals with some tricky issues.

"By 17 he has a list of 1,000 things, and we see the big events he goes through in life – getting married, getting divorced.

"But he still makes it naive. He still has this openness to learn.

"I chose the play because it has an edge – if people want to be there for the night, you may come away slightly changed. That's the power of performance."

The award winning play was written by Duncan Macmillan and recently performed by Scottish comedian, Jonny Donahoe.

Aidan, a former teacher, added: "The play has been shaped by his idioms, which makes it harder to pick up, but he says you can change it to fit your own experiences.

"When I came across it for my students, I thought 'maybe not' – but they just responded.

"I think they saw that performing doesn't have to be about big lights and spectacle. It's value of storytelling – how to present a story and make it count."

Aidan was born in the UK but lived in New Zealand from the age of seven to 33.

He always enjoyed performing arts and spent many years as a teacher, before landing roles in hit theatre and television productions.

He starred in shows that toured both Australia and New Zealand – and came back to England on the promise of a West End job.

However, when that fell through, he returned to the classroom.

Aidan, now retired, said: "There's an energy about teaching young people, which is just fantastic. There's new ideas which they will take on freely.

"The humour, the joy, the speed in which they think, the quixotic nature about the whole thing."

Aidan taught in London before moving to Lincolnshire, where he met his wife, Susan, and was latterly director of performance at Walton High, Milton Keynes.

Explaining why he chose the mental health charity, Mind, he said: "It's to help raise money for a growing issue, which isn't funded so well. Having a teaching career for many years, I came to realise that so many young people are struggling.

"Come along and find out how to remain hopeful; it's about understanding the little things in life that you can do to achieve a better state of mind."

Aidan would like to thank his wife, Susan – his "silent producer" – for all her support, as well as Craig McLeish for his help with the sound stage.

The play begins at 7.30pm. Click here to book tickets – or you can pay on the door (£5).