Over the course of the play, Bearing assesses her own life through the intricacies of the English language, especially the use of wit and the metaphysical poetry of John Donne. Repeatedly, Vivian recites John Donne's Holy Sonnet X whilst reflecting upon her condition. In addition to her understanding of poetry, she has a reputation for her difficult classes and demanding manner. She has spent most of her life preferring scholarship to humanity. She is unmarried and without children, her parents are deceased, and she has no third-party person to contact.

Vivian soon sees that the doctors at the hospital are more interested in her for their research, and recognizes a parallel to her approach to study and teaching. She gradually comes to reassess her life and her work with a profundity and humor that transform both herself and the audience.

“(A) brutally human and beautifully layered new play... You will feel both enlightened and, in a strange way, enormously comforted.” - Peter Marks, The New York Times

In 1985, Edson became a clerk on a cancer and AIDS ward at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. Here she was forced to witness the application of radical medical treatment, and the effects of these treatments on the patient’s life, as well as the constant awareness of the possibility of imminent death. In an article by Susan Lowell Butler in USA Today, Edson says, “I learned so much there. The nurses really wanted me to help make things run smoothly, so they taught me a lot. ... I observed the people there, the patients and families, coping with cancer. I learned about character and about courage.” She worked at the hospital for only one year, but the memories were to linger, ultimately compelling her to write Wit.

After leaving the hospital, Edson took on various other positions, including bicycle shop sales clerk and volunteer ESL teacher. It was during this time, the summer of 1991, that she wrote her play. According to Edson, Wit just popped into her head. In an article written by CNN’s Jamie Allen, Edson said, “You’re just writing down the things people say.. . . That seems very interesting and natural to me. ... I’m fascinated how people’s spoken language expresses their own selves. So to write a play you just have to listen.” And according to all the critical praise (not to mention the Pulitzer Prize), Edson must be a very good listener. Upon completion, she sent the play out to every theater in the country. They all rejected it, except for the South Coast Repertory and after several edits; the play celebrated its world premiere.

Although the topic of the play sounds grim, Edson says that the play is about love and knowledge, grace and redemption. She uses the word wit not so much to convey a sense of comedy (although there are several moments of intelligent humor) but rather to reflect the natural ability to perceive and understand. In order to convey all these concepts, Edson says, she had to write about their opposites. “So the play is about miscommunication and misunderstanding and posturing and arrogance.” The play is about death and dying, but what seems to have impressed audiences is the lesson the play presents for the living.

Edson then enrolled at Georgetown University, eventually earning a master’s degree in literature. At first she thought she would go on to earn a doctorate in literature and eventually pursue an academic career. But while in graduate school, Edson worked in the District of Columbia’s public school system as a volunteer teacher, and it was here that she found her passion.

In the Madison Repertory Theatre’s Audience Guide, there is a little side story about Edson that states,“By the time she came to write her thesis [for her master’s degree], she knew academe was not for her. Her thesis project, on the use of poetry to teach reading, concluded with an oral defense in which Edson performed a Queen Latifa rap number before her faculty review panel.” Today Edson is a kindergarten teacher at Centennial Place Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia, where she uses music and poetry to teach children to read. Edson's romantic partner is Linda Merrill, a curator at the High Museum of Art. They are the parents of two boys. Margaret Edson says that she has no further dramatic or literary ambitions.

Ms. Leyshon has also been invited to direct for theatre companies across the country, including the hugely successful Gershwin musical Lady Be Good and the rarely mounted Sullivan musical The Zoo for the Shaw Festival. Other theatrical works include the Chalmers award-winning The Hope Slide at the Tarragon Theatre, The Taming of the Shrew at Vancouver's International Shakespeare Festival Bard on the Beach, Vigil for Theatre Calgary, and the world premières of Warriors by Michel Garneau and Moo by Sally Clark at the international ATP Playrites Theatre Festival. In June of 2008 she premiered Where the Blood Mixes by Kevin Loring at Luminato, Toronto’s Festival of Arts and Creativity and at the Magnetic North Festival in Vancouver.

Glynis Leyshon has enjoyed a long and creatively fulfilling relationship with Pacific Opera Victoria, where she has created over 20 new productions since 1980. Highlights include Macbeth, Madam Butterfly, two separate productions of Don Giovanni, Pirates of Penzance, The Merry Widow and the Canadian premier of Blitzstein’s Regina. While the majority of this operatic work has been in the traditional repertoire, Ms. Leyshon’s experience as a dramaturge and director of new theatre work has led her to develop and direct a number of new opera productions including Game Misconduct by Leslie Uyeda and librettist Tom Cone, which had a successful premier at Festival Vancouver. Her latest assignments included Die Zauberflöte, Rake’s Progress for POV and Die Fledermaus for Opera Hamilton. She has also been invited to workshop a number of contemporary pieces at The Banff Centre under Keith Turnbull and is currently working on a new opera based on Stephen Massicotte’s award-winning play – Mary’s Wedding for Pacific Opera Victoria.

Her other operatic credits include Cenerentola, Rigoletto, The Merry Widow, Tales of Hoffmann and Don Giovanni for Calgary Opera; Salome, Rigoletto and Madama Butterfly for Vancouver Opera; Trail by Jury for Edmonton Opera; Falstaff for Opera Lyra, Ottawa and several productions for Pierrette Alarie and Leopold Simoneau’s prestigious training company Opera Picolo.

Ms. Leyshon has a particular passion for working with and teaching young and emerging artists and is the recipient of Canada’s Commonwealth Medal for her contributions to the arts. She has conducted master classes for opera training programmes in Calgary, Victoria, Courtenay, and Banff. In addition to this work, she has also conducted courses at the University of Victoria, William Head Penitentiary, the Victoria Conservatory of Music, and the University of British Columbia, where she serves as an Adjunct Professor.

Lois toured extensively with Green Thumb Theatre in her early career - and received, with the cast of New Canadian Kid, the Dublin Theatre Award for Outstanding Production for Young Audiences. She has also performed with The Arts Club, The Playhouse Theatre Co. and at ATP in Calgary. She has received 5 Jessie Richardson Awards for acting with Neworld Theatre, The Playhouse Theatre, Solo Collective, and Electric Company. Lois performs on trapeze and tissue and is also mom to Anouska and Elena.