Fall in love all over again with this timeless Pulitzer-nominated classic by A.R. Gurney.
Scottsdale Old Town Theatre Company Presents…
“LOVE LETTERS” By A.R. Gurney
for a Special Engagement with Two Performances Only,
at ASU Kerr in Scottsdale.
Pulitzer Prize Nominated “Love Letters” by A.R. Gurney
“You cannot stage a play more simply than this, and yet it’s about everything in life. First love, loss of opportunities, loss of life, loss of love…It’s a beautiful play, and all you do is speak it.”
A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama (1985), this classic American serio-comedy has been performed and loved around the world. In its simplest form, it is a story of friendship and love that spans fifty years all told through love letters exchanged between the two character, Andrew and Melissa. The play explores the lives and relationship two people who grew up together, went their separate ways, but continued to share confidences. As the actors read the letters aloud, what is created is an evocative, touching, frequently funny but always telling pair of character studies in which what is implied is as revealing and meaningful as what is actually written down. This funny and touching work is a unique and imaginative theatre piece which, in the words of the author, “needs no theatre, no lengthy rehearsal, no special set, no memorization of lines and no commitment from its two actors beyond the night of performance.”
Director Mike Arseneault says “this beautiful piece of theatre has been a passion of his for a lifetime across four cities and two countries”. This will be the fifth production of “Love Letters” that he has produced in the United States and Canada. Audiences fall in love with the characters, the relationship and the situations. It’s storytelling at its finest. “The audience will laugh out loud and be moved to tears as the stories and incredible friendship unfolds.” says director Mike Arseneault.
A perfect way to celebrate love! Get ready for some belt laughs and bring a tissue or two. Thanks to the enduing power of “Love Letters”, it has attracted many international actors and famous couple to play the roles of Andrew and Melissa. They include Holland Taylor and A.R. Gurney (original cast), Joanna Gleason and John Rubinstein, Kathleen Turner and John Rubinstein, Colleen Dewhurst and Jason Robards, Mia Farrow and Brian Dennehy, Carol Burnett and Brian Dennehy, Alan Alda and Candice Bergen, Martin Sheen and Anjelica Huston, Stacy Keach and Diana Rigg, Robert Wagner and Jill St. John, Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows, Gerald McRaney and Delta Burke, Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti, Brooke Shields and John Slattery. Other famous film and TV performers Hollywood Legends: Elizabeth Taylor, James Earl Jones, Charlton Heston, Julie Harris, Christopher Walken, Sigourney Weaver, Sissy Spacek, Laura Linney and Steven Weber (who starred in the 1999 television adaptation), Jeff Daniels, William Hurt, Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, Whoopi Goldberg, Timothy Dalton and Keir Dullea.
This production presents the script as originally written, which includes outdated cultural depictions, strong language, and mature themes. Recommended for audiences Ages 16+.
This volunteer production is directed by Mike Arseneault, artistic director and executive producer of Scottsdale Old Town Theatre Company and presented in collaboration with ASU Kerr.
Love Letters is produced with special licensing permission from Concord Theatricals, 250 West 57th Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10107-0102.
PERFORMANCE DETAILS:
WHEN (TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY):
Saturday, May 23, 2026 – 7:00 pm evening performance
Sunday, May 24, 2026 – 2:00 pm matinee performance
WHERE (VENUE):
ASU Kerr Cultural Center, 6110 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85253
Presented by Scottsdale Old Town Theatre Company in collaboration with ASU Kerr.
