Hedgerow Theatre Presents THE PUZZLE

Hedgerow Theatre presents the world premiere of Juliette Dunn's The Puzzle, a playful and irreverent new production that blends clowning and neurodivergence to tell a story of connectivity. The Puzzle follows two clowns, Finneas and Quinton, as they strive to escape a surreal scrap yard, and The Boy - a non-speaker with autism - whose arrival upends their plans. Together these characters reveal our capacity to transcend barriers, turn struggle into joy, and reach a new depth of human understanding.

The Puzzle enjoys a limited run May 17 - 28, with opening night kicking off on Saturday, May 20, at 7:30 p.m. Legendary clown David Shiner anchors the cast, reuniting with Broadway veteran Daniel Passer, and joining Philadelphia talent Michael Stahler. Shiner also co-directs the piece with Bill Fennelly - both have directed on Broadway, with Cirque du Soleil, and across regional stages in the US and abroad. Tickets cost $20-$35 and are available online at www.hedgerowtheatre.org. All shows are performed at Hedgerow Theatre located at 64 Rose Valley Rd in Media, PA.

The Puzzle introduces the world of a young person with a vast inner life, who is a non-speaker with autism. This production explores what it means to meet one another where we are in full humanity.

This play is a celebration and elevation of a particular lived experience of a non-speaker with autism, inspired by the playwright's son. According to Dunn, "My inspiration was and is my beautiful, smart, funny, warm-hearted son who has autism. His purity brings me the greatest joy. His struggles bring me the greatest agony. I wanted to tell not only his story, but the story of those on the spectrum who are underestimated and devalued. Additionally, my love for the clown, who constantly walks the balance between joy and agony, fused together with that desire to become The Puzzle."

For Dunn, "the puzzle" imagery addresses the many unanswered questions in life, "There are many puzzles in the play, but the boy is not one of them, in fact, he is the most whole character in the story."

Returning to the Hedgerow stage is Philadelphia artist Michael Stahler performing in the role of The Boy. Stahler notes, "as an actor with autism, it's rare to see stories about people like me told respectfully or accurately on the screen or stage, much less get the chance to tell those stories myself. The Puzzle is the kind of play that would have meant a lot to me as a kid growing up neurodivergent, and so it is my greatest honor to play this part and share this part of me on the stage for the very first time."

For the playwright, Juliette Dunn, "All of these characters touch my heart. They are all suffering. They all want happiness. They all want to belong. Their pain is our pain. This play uses these three characters to talk about the human condition - what we long for and hope for and suffer through as people trying to make sense and meaning of our lives."

"I'm beyond excited to be working with an incredible team of artists," notes Dunn, "most especially, the incomparable David Shiner, who is a theatre icon and clown royalty." Shiner, a Tony Award winning artist, plays Quinton and as co-director brings this pioneering play to life with his powerful vision and virtuosic humor. According to Dunn, "[David] was a huge influence for me. Seeing Fool Moon right after college was a seminal and transformative moment. I knew right then this was the kind of theatre I wanted to make. At any point after that, if you had asked me who I would want to work with, if I could work with anyone in the world, my answer would have been David Shiner... the whole experience has been thrilling and overwhelming."

Shiner is excited for the challenge of this new work. "This play is not an abstraction. Its scope is vast, its purpose lucid," said Shiner. "Communication. This only happens through listening and the gentle surrendering of all that we know."

Shiner, Dunn, and Passer have teamed on several workshops of the production in partnership with actor and self-advocate Mickey Rowe, and dramaturg Wendy Bable, who contributed to the play's evolution. Bable returns to the production at Hedgerow along with lighting designer Lily Fossner (The Pillowman and A Christmas Carol Comedy) and costume designer Rebecca Kanach (The World...Snoopy). Shawn Fisher joins the team as scenic designer, Michael Hahn as sound designer and composer, and celebrated choreographer and dancer Karen Getz as choreographer. Alexis Wells joins as stage manager and Kate Fossner engages as Production Manager.

According to Co-Director, Bill Fennelly, "I am honored to be a part of the team that is bringing Juliette Dunn's beautiful play to life. And I am thrilled to be reunited with my Cirque du Soleil collaborators, the celebrated clowns David Shiner and Daniel Passer. My time at Cirque working with David and Daniel changed the trajectory of my life and career. It was at Cirque that I was schooled in the transformative art of clowning. The Clowns, like Juliette's play, will disarm us and discombobulate us so we can see our world (and hopefully ourselves) from a new and unexpected perspective."

Dunn adds, "I hope audiences will go on this rollercoaster ride with us - and laugh and cry and feel and learn that we have more similarities than differences and that people who are non-speaking have so much to offer and so much intelligence. I hope that inspires them to treat the next non-speaker they meet with the highest respect and admiration."

Stahler expresses, "Every autistic person's story is different, so I can only speak to my own life experience, but it is my hope that this piece will bridge gaps between different communities and broaden the horizons for what's possible for anyone who is different. I cannot thank the Hedgerow Theatre enough for their support and their passion for telling new stories from new voices"

The Hedgerow Executive Artistic Director is honored to have this show and such incredible talent on stage in this 100th season. "Working with this team has already been incredibly exciting and meaningful," shares Marcie Bramucci. "The Puzzle is wonderfully disarming and swiftly draws you in. Juliette approaches her work with such generosity and specificity as she centers a perspective that has been misunderstood or sidelined for too long. This bold and beautiful play, in the hands of our exceptionally talented creative team, is exactly the way to anchor Hedgerow's 100th season. "

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