Love Letters

Last night I had the honor of performing the play Love Letters with college friend, Jeb Branin to help raise money for a scholarship on behalf of another college friend who passed away Thanksgiving Day 2010, Stuart Lewis. Stuart and his family were traveling to visit extended family and were in a terrible car accident. Stuart and his daughter Karalee (18) were killed instantly. Stu's wife Trudy was in serious condition and his son James (15) and daughter Abigail (11) were in critical condition. Their oldest daughter MayLynn was not in the vehicle. It was such a shock to all those who knew Stuart and his family. Stuart was such a talented designer, mainly in costumes and some set design. I also had the privilege of acting on the stage with him. He had such a vibrant personality and was a joy to be around. I hadn't seen Stuart in years but his passing deeply affected me. So, when Jeb called me up and asked if I would be willing to do this benefit play and I was so happy to accept. The play is written by A.R. Gurney and is meant to be read directly from the script, not memorized. There are only two characters, Andrew and Melissa, and the audience learns about them through a series of letters that are written between the characters spanning from their grade school years into their mature adult years. It is a very well structured play and was nominated for a Pulitzer. Even though there is no memorization we still had to rehearse and internalize each letter. It was a great exercise in concentration and listening. I memorized the last few lines because ideally the script calls for it, but other than that it is more like a well rehearsed play reading. The highlight for me was after the play and having Trudy come up and express her gratitude. She told me some wonderful things that I will never forget.

If you would like to learn more about the Lewis family and donate to help for their on-going medical bills go to: http://www.supportthelewisfamily.blogspot.com/ If you would like to donate to the Stuart and Trudy Lewis Theater Scholarship Fund at Snow College visit: http://www.snow.edu/alumni/give.html and click on "Make a Gift" and be sure in the notes you say it is for the NEW Stuart and Trudy Lewis Theater Scholarship and it should get to the right place.