2027 Season
Love Letters
By A.R. Gurney
Directed by Judy Brewster
January 22–24, 2027
The Studio Around the Corner, 67 Main Street (downstairs), Brewster, NY
Rehearsals and performances will be held at The Studio Around the Corner, 67 Main Street (downstairs), Brewster, NY — our new, temporary location while our new theater is under construction.
About the play
A lifetime of letters. A lifetime of love. A story that never stops unfolding.
Brewster Theater Company is seeking eight actors for a unique production of A.R. Gurney’s beloved play Love Letters.
Through letters, notes, and correspondence spanning a lifetime, Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner reveal a relationship filled with humor, affection, missed opportunities, disappointment, and enduring connection. This play is read, not memorized, as it is written.
Our production will feature two generations of actors sharing one love story. Each performance will begin with a younger Andy and Melissa, followed by an older Andy and Melissa after intermission. Two complete casts will be created, with each younger pair matched to an older pair.
Production format
Two complete casts: Cast A and Cast B. Eight actors total: two younger couples and two older couples.
Each performance: younger Andy and Melissa in Part One; older Andy and Melissa in Part Two. At intermission the cast changes as the story moves forward in time.
Staging is an intimate, minimalist presentation centered on the actors, their letters, and their relationship.
Roles
Younger Actor (20s–30s)
Andrew Makepeace Ladd III (Andy)
Playing Andy from childhood through young adulthood. Andy is intelligent, articulate, ambitious, and shaped by a privileged upbringing. He is often more comfortable expressing himself through words than through direct emotional confrontation. Beneath his confidence lies a deep need for Melissa’s affection and approval.
Older Actor (50s+)
Andrew Makepeace Ladd III (Andy)
Playing Andy through his mature adult years. Andy has built a life shaped by professional achievement, responsibility, relationships, and the choices he has made. He retains his intelligence and dry humor, but time has given his words a different weight. The challenge is to reveal the same man beneath the years.
Younger Actor (20s–30s)
Melissa Gardner
Playing Melissa from childhood through young adulthood. Spirited, witty, impulsive, emotionally expressive, and rebellious, Melissa comes from a privileged background but frequently resists the expectations placed upon her. She can be playful and provocative one moment and vulnerable the next. She wants to be understood, even when she struggles to understand herself.
Older Actor (50s+)
Melissa Gardner
Playing Melissa through her mature adult years. Melissa remains sharp, spirited, funny, and complicated. Her experiences have brought both insight and pain, but her need for connection remains. The actor must balance humor, vulnerability, independence, and the emotional consequences of a lifetime of choices.
All four roles are essential to telling one continuous story. We are seeking actors who can create distinctive, fully realized performances while preserving the emotional continuity of the characters across time.
What we're looking for
- Strong vocal clarity and expressive reading skills
- Excellent listening and the ability to respond authentically to a scene partner
- Comic timing and emotional range
- Comfort performing from a script while making the dialogue feel spontaneous
- An ability to convey relationships, subtext, and changing emotions without physical action or elaborate staging
- A collaborative spirit and willingness to explore character choices with the director
- Prior stage experience is welcome. We are interested in compelling storytellers, not just polished readers.
Performances
Rehearsals
Auditions
Monday, December 7, 6:00–9:30 pm, by appointment
Drew United Methodist Church, 28 Gleneida Ave., Carmel, NY
To schedule: brewstertheatershows@gmail.com
Please prepare the assigned audition material for the character and age group you wish to play. Be ready to read with a scene partner and take direction. Monologues will be emailed upon receipt of the form. You may be asked to explore the same passage in different ways, adjust your pacing, or repeat a section with a different emotional intention. We are not looking for memorization. We are looking for connection, discovery, and storytelling.