Susan & Darren
It’s the best night out I can remember. I’m moved, almost to tears, by the honesty, directness and clarity in the performance, and had great fun at the party! This is poignancy unadorned. Extraordinary ordinary lives celebrating just being.
Miriam King, Total Theatre magazine, January 2007
An ‘event with dancing’, Susan & Darren was created with and performed by Darren Pritchard of Company Fierce and his mum, Susan. Audiences are invited to help Susan and Darren prepare for one of their infamous parties, and to join them for a buffet, chat, drink and a dance after the show. Friends and neighbours pop in via video interviews.
Why we made Susan & Darren
Like Butterfly, Susan & Darren focuses on family. It continues our investigation of ‘relational theatre’, where we explore ways for the audience to choose how they engage with the piece. Here, that includes taking part in the pre-show workshop, asking questions during the mid-show discussion or chatting to Susan and Darren over the buffet after the show. As with EatEat or Rantsoen, sharing food creates a different yet familiar relationship between audience and performers.
How we made Susan & Darren
“Renny, Simon and I have known Darren and his mum since Darren was 12 years old. We all worked for Contact in Manchester where Darren attended their Youth Theatre. That meant we got to know Susan and the rest of the family and we’ve kept in touch since then. Darren's performed in other Quarantine shows, while Renny O’Shea worked with Darren on Company Fierce’s Plasma Intermix.
In 2004, Darren brought Susan to see White Trash. After the show, Darren asked us if we’d make a show with him and his mum. Although normally we start our process with something personal to one of us, knowing them and their extraordinary stories so well, we thought we’d give it a try.
We began with a two-week workshop at Contact in Manchester and over the next year we spent time together in a variety of ways - including an outing to childhood daytrip destination Blackpool and regular visits to their home (for large portions of Susan’s fabulous shepherd’s pie). We launched the project with a tea party at their house and devised the piece over six weeks in Manchester in 2006, working closely with writer Sonia Hughes and choreographer Jane Mason. After two weeks of performances in Manchester we toured Susan & Darren across the UK in 2006 and 2007.”
Richard Gregory, co-director
Credits and performance details
Performers:
Darren Pritchard, Susan Pritchard
Directed by Richard Gregory and Renny O'Shea; design Simon Banham; written by Sonia Hughes; video artist Ruth Cross; choreography Jane Mason; lighting design Mike Brookes; sound design Greg Akehurst.
Susan & Darren was co-produced by Quarantine and Company Fierce with Queer Up North and Contact. It was first performed at Contact in Manchester in May 2006 and supported by Arts Council England North West through Grants for the Arts and their art05 award for outstanding achievement. Susan & Darren toured the UK in 2006 & 2007. Both tours were also supported by ACE through Grants for the Arts.