The Whitefire Theatre Solofest Presents “Wake Up Little Susy.” Written and Performed by Susy Porter. Directed and Developed by Jessica Lynn Johnson.
Susy Porter is one of those warm, huggable, bubbly people that you only wish you could have in your inner circle.
Full of positivity, encouragement, sweetness and light. What’s fascinating about her story and this play is how time and time again her belief in those she loved and her spiritual beliefs have been stretched to the limits.
A sexual trauma survivor, she grew up in a Christian household and her faith is center to her life still, but Susy’s journey is very complex. As she tells her story, spread out over the five decades of her life, one thing is clear, she’s far stronger than she looks.
It’s a tricky thing to do, to take terrible events in our lives and to tell them without clinging to the sadness, the harm and the shame connected to them. It’s trickier still to make that easy to watch or even entertaining, but Susy has mastered what few can. She has made her life transcend the damage, the secrets and the heartbreak. She shines a light on the darkest moments in her life and what is reveled is her monumental courage and shining spirit.
As a solo show “Wake Up Little Susy” it is brilliantly written, beautifully performed and Susy Porter is absolutely hilarious, highly emotionally intelligent and deeply inspirational…angelic even. She uses her humor and her heart to guide her story and what a story it is. Oh, and there’s a vagina puppet…adorable!
The Whitefire and Jessica Lynn Johnson are truly outdoing themselves this year. Their support of this and all the Solofest stories is amazing…so many stories to tell, so much healing through the telling. Bravo to all!