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Based on the real-life letters between playwright Sarah Ruhl and poet Max Ritvo, Letters from Max is a tender, poetic, and unexpectedly humorous meditation on friendship, art, and mortality. When Max, a brilliant young poet, is faced with the return of his childhood cancer, he and Sarah exchange letters that move beyond mentorship, becoming a profound conversation about the afterlife, legacy, and how we give shape to our fleeting time on earth. Woven with humor and lyricism, Letters from Max is both a love letter to the power of language and a testament to the enduring bonds we create.

Letters from Max

by Sarah Ruhl

Directed by Emily Jackson

Performance Dates & Times:

Wed May 7, 2025, 7 PM (Preview)
Thu May 8, 2025, 7 PM (Preview)
Fri May 9, 2025, 7 PM
Sat May 10, 2025, 2 PM
Sat May 10, 2025, 7 PM
Sun May 11, 2025, 2 PM
Wed May 14, 2025, 7 PM
Thu May 15, 2025, 2 PM
Thu May 15, 2025, 7 PM
Fri May 16, 2025, 7 PM
Sat May 17, 2025, 7 PM
Sun May 18, 2025, 2 PM

Show Sponsor
Media Sponsor
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Ticket Prices:
Regular tickets $32+
Name Your Price tickets (select performances) $1+
Student and Artist tickets $20
Community tickets $10

Running Time:
Letters from Max runs approximately  2 hours and 15 minutes 
with a 10 minute intermission

Around the Kitchen Table

You are invited to join the conversation. Around the Kitchen Table events deepen the conversation by engaging with the play's themes through talks, local artist performances, and community partner events. These events are free and open to the public.

Thursday, May 15th-  6:40 pm before the 7 pm performance. Rebecca Schillenback, Hospicare's Spiritual Care Coordinator, will speak briefly on how we honor those we’ve lost, how we carry their words forward, and how art holds grief and love at once.

Friday, May 16th- Meet the Artists conversation with the cast, director, and creative team!

Saturday, May 17th- Post show talk with Ellen Abrams, a writer, meditation teacher, and longtime therapist whose work explores the intersection of grief, care, and contemplative practice. She’ll lead a post-show conversation beginning around 8:45 PM.

Cast & Creative Team

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Emily Jackson

Director

Tyler M. Perry***
Lighting & Scenic Designer

Lesley Greene
Sound Designer

* Member, AEA | ^ Member, SDC | *** Member, USA 829

Gwyneth Cole

Assistant Director

Jackson Janowicz*
Max

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Ainsley Anderson

Costume Designer

Erica Steinhagen*
Sarah

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Tenzin Chopak

Composer

Lauren Hingle*

Assistant Stage Manager

Jen Schilansky*

Production Stage Manager

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