DEKALB, ILL, June 2, 2021 – Two dear friends correspond with each other over many years through letters in A. R. Gurneys beloved drama, Love Letters. Often what they write is filled with humor, occasionally romantic, but the letters are always sincere and the two are spiritually connected to each other even though they are physically apart. The production runs for one weekend starting June 10, 2021.
Directed by Scott Montavon, who last directed Young Frankenstein several years ago, Love Letters focuses on the letters written between Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner, who are childhood friends. The lifelong correspondence begins with birthday party thank-you notes and summer camp postcards. Though each are romantically attached, they continue to exchange letters through the boarding school and college years and into adulthood. The two didn’t always like each other but always loved one another.
One of the big takeaways of the wildly popular play, Montavon said is, “(That) It’s possible for two people to love each other no matter what time or distance and life does to them.”
As with the cast of Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, it’s been awhile since the cast and crew of Love Letters have performed at Stage Coach Theatre. Miller, who plays Melissa Gardner, hasn’t performed at Stage Coach Players since Noises Off during the summer of 2019.
“I did a few plays on Zoom during the pandemic, and it’s just not the same when you can’t hear or see the audience,” Miller said. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know these characters in Love Letters and their complex relationship, and I can’t wait to share it with our audiences.”
Love Letters, a 1990 Pulitzer Prize finalist, is a performance favorite for well-known actors. Those who have performed the play include Carol Burnett and Brian Dennehy, Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Daniels, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Sally Field and Bryan Cranston, and Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross just to name a few.
Part of the strength and reason for the popularity of Love Letters, Montavon offered, is that its strength comes from its unapologetically raw presentation of the main characters. They are not always likable but always honest with each other.”
Performances for Love Letters are June 10 – 12, 2021 with a curtain time of 7:30 p.m. along with a Sunday matinee on June 13, 2021 with a curtain time of 2:00. Tickets are $5 each.
For tickets, please call the box office at 815-758-1940 or order online. Tickets will also be available at the door to purchase.
Thank you for being patient as SCP navigates through its summer shows with the State of Illinois “Restore Illinois” COVID-19 Mitigation Guidelines. For this production we are asking members to wear a mask while in the theatre. Seating will be done in a manner that ensures proper social distancing in groups of no more than four.
If you have any questions about the COVID-19 mitigations, please contact the box office which opens Sun., June 6, 2021. Keep in touch with SCP and help us celebrate our 75th year!
