Written and directed by David Leddy

Performed by Gabriel Quigley and Alisa Anderson

White Tea is a complex, multi-layered piece of visual theatre in which the audience wear white paper kimonos and drink white tea as they sit within a cocoon of paper prayer flags and origami birds. Lush images of Japan (shot by Leddy himself in Tokyo and Kyoto) are projected on all four walls and even the ceiling whilst cutting-edge LED and laser technology projects messages across the stage.

Within this otherworldly installation an absurd, eccentric story unfolds of beauty, brutality, giving and grieving. We follow Naomi (award-winning actress Gabriel Quigley) and Tomoko (Alisa Anderson) as they journey from Paris to Japan in search of Naomi’s sick mother and a long-lost sister that nobody knew existed.

The piece deftly uses the role of tea in British and Japanese life as a way to explore colliding cultures, clashing personalities and the sinister demons a daughter leaves unspoken. It will take influence from Japanese minimalism as well as Kakuzo Okakura’s one-hundred-year-old Book Of Tea, and Sei Shonagon’s one-thousand-year-old Pillow Book and even the artwork of Yoko Ono.

White Tea sees Leddy reunited with the creative team from his hit show Sub Rosa. Lighting designer Nich Smith and sound designer Graham Sutherland are joined by Becky Minto designing set and costume and Tim Reid creating cutting-edge immersive projection.

Set and Costume design by Becky Minto

Video and projection by Tim Reid

Japan photography by David Leddy

Lighting design by Nich Smith

Sound design by Graham Sutherland

Assistant Director Stef Smith

Lighting supplies sponsored by Mike Stoane Lighting

AWARDS:

- WINNER - Scotsman Fringe First

- WINNER - Herald Angel

- WINNER - Edinburgh International Festival Fringe Prize.

* * * * * Metro

* * * * The Scotsman

* * * * The Herald

* * * * Big Issue

* * * * The List

IMAGES:

David shooting video for White Tea in Ryokan Rikiya, Kyoto:

WHITE TEA - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION FOR PROMOTERS:

Venue: White Tea takes place inside a specially designed frame which gives the appearance of being a huge paper box. Lighting, sound and projection equipment are all integral to the frame and thus the piece can be set-up in practically any space.

Capacity: There are two ways of presenting the piece:

1. Closed frame: The audience sit within the frame, in a special cocoon of paper. Capacity 25.

2. Open frame: One side of the frame is open to create a proscenium. Some audience sit within the frame., the rest of the audience sit outside on the venue’s seating bank. Capacity variable depending on venue, approx 75.

Staff on the road: 2 actors, 2 technicians, Luton van. Get-in and play on the same day.

Tech spec: All lighting, sound, projection equipment provided by Fire Exit / David Leddy.

Email to discuss availability:

info [‘at’ symbol] DavidLeddy [dot] com