Susurrus: A Fire Exit Production September 9, 2010

Written, directed, and conceived by David Leddy

Susurrus is a play without actors and without a stage. It is part radio play, part recital, part lesson in bird dissection, and part stroll in the park. Audiences follow a map around Matthaei Botanical gardens as they listen to the piece on headphones; the different elements form a “perfect melding of location and text to create a theater experience in which there are no actors and only one member in the audience: you.” (The Guardian)

The listener hears snippets about opera, memorial benches, and botany, which fit together into a mournful and poignant story of love and loss that is “a sensual reinterpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with a contemporary edge.” (The List)

Susurrus (pronounced sus-YOO-rus, it refers to the rustling sound of wind in trees), is written and directed by David Leddy, a “theatrical maverick” with a “propensity for fearless experiment” (Financial Times) who is “Scotland’s hottest, edgiest young playwright.” (Sunday Times)

“A clever refraction of Shakespeare’s themes and a distinct drama in its own right…There are moments when location and content come together so powerfully that your eyes moisten and your heart lurches.” (The Guardian)

Times will vary, with groups of four admitted every 15 minutes (every day during the hours of operation of the gardens). The piece includes about a mile of walking on defined trails. Umbrellas provided in case of rain.

Recommended for ages 16+; contains adult themes.

Official Website: http://www.ums.org/s_current_season/artist.asp?pageid=585