Take a Spin with Ray Didinger's World Premiere at DTC

By Mike Logothetis
Theater reviewer Mike Logothetis grew up in North Wilmington, performing in school and local theater productions. He lives in Newark, but you can find him wherever the arts are good.

Delaware Theatre Company (DTC) opens its 2025-2026 season with the World Premiere of Spinner by Ray Didinger – the local Hall of Fame sportswriter and radio legend. The play shares the true story of former NHL player Brian “Spinner” Spencer and the trauma that engulfed him after his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Spinner by Ray Didinger, premiering at Delaware Theatre Company.
Photo by Matt Urban, NuPOINT Marketing

“It sounds like a fairly ordinary sports story, but that night – December 12, 1970 – was anything but ordinary,” Didinger recounts. “A hockey game resulted in a family tragedy that
made headlines across North America. I was assigned to follow up on the story, and that’s how I met Brian Spencer.”

Brian and his twin brother Byron Spencer (Sean Lally) are being
raised hockey players in tiny Fort Saint James, British Columbia. Their father Roy (Scott Greer) is adamant that at last one of his sons is going to play his way out of town and into the NHL. His practical wife Irene (Karen Peakes) disagrees, reminding Roy that he moved them there to start a family and build a better life.

While Byron drops hockey and focuses on his future, “Rink Rat” Brian loves every minute of being on the ice. Roy is driven by his dream and is confident Brian is NHL material. He works multiple jobs to provide his hockey prodigy with everything he could need…to play hockey, not progress with real life. Brian’s schoolwork suffers, breaking his former schoolteacher mother’s heart. But scouts take notice and Brian feels he’s on the true path to success.

All of this – and the fateful night – are depicted in a non-linear timeline. The audience can sense the stresses of singularly striving towards a goal plus growing familial fractures caused by the desire. While choppy at times, the cuts back and forth in time help develop both the characters and the plot.

When new father Byron confronts his father and asserts, “It’s a goddamn game,” Roy doesn’t see it that way. Roy is quick to anger and his presence is foreboding. He’s not malicious, but he funnels so much of his energy into getting Brian to the ranks of professional hockey that he loses sight of what may be most important in his life. Greer does an exceptional job getting the audience to root for his vision while simultaneously realizing his methods are smothering. He’s close to the edge and it’s anyone’s guess to what might set him off.

It turns out, 1970s Canadian broadcasting rights are the trigger and Roy heads to local CBC affiliate CKPG to fix what he feels is a personal slight – TV won’t be airing Brian’s NHL debut in his hometown. Receptionist Carol (Genevieve Perrier) and engineer Stu (Dave Johnson) try to placate Roy with the (true) explanation that the broadcast feed is out of their control. They are powerless to help him. He is powerless to help himself. It descends further into tragedy from there.

All of this happens on a cool outdoorsy set by Scenic Designer Parris Bradley. Bradley has split logs and tree stumps dominating the stage along with CRT TV screens. Lighting Designer Shannon Zura and Projection Designer Colin J. Sass amplify this (and more) with excellent effects which provide accompaniment to the story. Director Matt Silva keeps the pacing fairly tight, adding to the tension. The cast is rounded out by Charlie DelMarcelle, who plays Roy’s levelheaded friend Harry.

“Since its first reading last September, it has been a joy to watch Spinner take shape,” remarks Artistic Director Mimi Warnick. “Ray has carried this story close to his heart throughout his remarkable career, and it is an honor to see it premiere on the DTC stage and kick off our 46th season.”

Spinner reflects on the risks, rewards, and regrets we all face when chasing something bigger than ourselves. It’s a powerful tale of sacrifice, family, and the lengths we’ll go to make our dreams a reality…even when the cost is too high. At the Talkback I attended, playwright Didinger explained that the story is about “the price to pay to fulfill [your] dreams.” The Spencer family certainly – and heartbreakingly – did that.

Didinger was the first print journalist inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. As a columnist for the Philadelphia Bulletin and Philadelphia Daily News, he was named Pennsylvania Sportswriter of the Year five times. In 1995, he won the Bill Nunn Award for long and distinguished reporting on pro football and his name was added to the writers’ honor roll at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Didinger also won six Emmy Awards for his work as a writer and producer for NFL Films. He has authored or co-authored a dozen books on professional football. His play, Tommy and Me, about his friendship with Eagles Hall of Famer Tommy McDonald, has been performed in area theaters since 2016. (DTC featured the show in 2021.) He can be heard talking football on 94WIP Sports Radio and NBC Sports Philadelphia.

The performance schedule of Spinner is: Wednesdays (2:00pm), Thursdays and Fridays (7:00pm), Saturdays (2:00 & 7:30pm except September 20 (Opening Night curtain is only at 7:30pm), and Sundays (2:00pm) through October 5.

Tickets start at $34 and discounts are available. The one-act show is roughly 75 minutes long. Join DTC for Viewpoints every Wednesday starting 45 minutes before the start of the show. There will be Talkbacks after several performances with Didinger and featuring writers, radio personalities, former athletes, and more. Visit www.delawaretheatre.org/spinner for the schedule of Talkback participants. Call 302.594.1100 or visit www.delawaretheatre.org to purchase tickets or for performance information. Delaware Theatre Company is located at 200 Water Street in Wilmington.

Reveiwer aside: I was lucky enough to have Hockey Hall of Fame goalkeeper Bernie Parent sit behind me at the performance. He was welcoming and gregarious. He also flashed me his two Stanley Cup rings while sporting a massive grin. On stage for Talkback, he was honest and funny.

Add The REP's "Every Brilliant Thing" to Your List

By Mike Logothetis
Theater reviewer Mike Logothetis grew up in North Wilmington, performing in school and local theater productions. He lives in Newark, but you can find him wherever the arts are good.

An uplifting play about depression, Every Brilliant Thing has become a global phenomenon since its Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut in 2014. Playwrights Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe created Every Brilliant Thing to tackle the complex topics of depression and suicide with warmth, honesty, and a touch of laughter. The University of Delaware’s Resident Ensemble Players (REP) aims to spark dialogue around mental health using this adaptive play. Simply put, The REP's interpretation of the show is an unmitigated success.

The plot is simple: In response to a young boy’s mother’s suicide attempt, the child makes a list of “every brilliant thing” worth living for — ice cream, Kung Fu movies, “things with stripes,” etc. As time progresses, the list grows into an unexpectedly funny and emotional tribute to life and the human spirit.

Michael Gotch stars as the Narrator in 
Every Brilliant Thing at The REP. 

“To me, Every Brilliant Thing is, itself, a brilliant thing,” said director Steve Tague, also the producing artistic director of The REP. “Theater has a unique power to move us, but this play goes even further. It asks one of the most essential questions: What makes life worth living?”

#99 Sunlight

REP stalwart Michael Gotch is excellent as the “Narrator” — taking the audience through an emotional version of his life’s journey. This is theatre-in-the-round, so the personal stories the Narrator tells become even more intimate. The production also involves voluntary audience interaction. Audience members may be asked to read a line or briefly engage with the performer in a lighthearted and supportive way. Participation is completely optional.
(And who knew so many community members could act?!)

Tague added, “Socks and coats come alive, and audience members become counselors, lecturers, spouses, and veterinarians. For a brief time, we pretend that we can face the realities of mental illness with honesty, vulnerability, and even joy. And if we can do that together in a theater, maybe we can do it in life. That’s the quiet, profound magic of this piece.”

Because this production breaks the fourth wall, the theater experience is as cathartic as it is uplifting. It’s a worthwhile endeavor that may have you noticing and naming the brilliant things in your own life.

#6 Rollercoasters

This production of Every Brilliant Thing is co-sponsored by the University of Delaware’s Institute for Community Mental Health (ICMH) as a way to de-stigmatize conversations around mental health through art and shared experience. Please be advised that this performance includes references to suicide and attempted suicide, plus themes of depression and mental illness.

Performances of Every Brilliant Thing run through Sunday, September 21. Informal talkbacks with the cast take place following the evening performances on Thursday, September 11 and Friday, September 19. Two “Prologues” occur on Saturday, September 13 and Sunday, September 21. Mental health professionals from the ICMH will lead both prologue discussions and engage with audiences during talkback performances.

“At the ICMH, we’re driven by the belief that the best of clinical psychological science should serve real people in real communities,” said Dr. Ryan Beveridge, executive director of the ICMH. “This partnership with the REP is a powerful reflection of that, using the emotional truth of live theatre to reach people where they are, spark conversation, and connect them with support. Through this collaboration, we’re not only raising awareness, but we’re also offering access to high-quality, evidence-based care, community-focused clinicians, and research that’s designed to make a difference in people’s everyday lives.”

Tickets prices range from $20-39 (+fees) with discounts available for students, seniors, plus University of Delaware faculty and staff. Tickets can be purchased online at www.rep.udel.edu; by contacting the REP box office at 302.831.2204; or visiting in person at 110 Orchard Road Tuesdays through Fridays from 12:00pm to 5:00pm. The one-act show runs approximately 65 minutes.

The Thompson Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Arts is located on the University of Delaware’s Newark campus and is ADA-compliant. It is equipped with a hearing loop system, which works with hearing aid t-coils, cochlear implants, and in-house hearing devices. Wheelchair and other seating requests can be made prior to the performance by calling 302.831.2204 or emailing cfa-boxoffice@udel.edu.

#45 Hugging