In the chill of a Minnesotan February, the tropics of Paraguay are not what come to mind for most of us. Yet for Camden resident Dan Hylton, the connection is easy to make. Hylton, who plays Andrew Makepeace Ladd III in Workhouse Theatre Company’s (WTC) upcoming Reader’s Theatre presentation of Love Letters, finds inspiration for his role by looking back to the letters he exchanged with his now-wife Sharon while she was serving in the Peace Corps.
Written by A.R. Gurney, the play follows a lifelong string of correspondence between staid, dutiful lawyer Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and the vivacious, somewhat unstable artist Melissa Gardner. From second grade through middle-age, the details of their poignantly funny friendship and ill-fated romance emerge from what is written - and what is left unsaid - in their letters.
“The script carries a lot of meaning for me,” says Hylton, “My wife and I had dated for about a year before she went into the Peace Corps. She was in Paraguay for two years and three months and most of our courtship was through the mail. We could only call each other on the phone every couple of months, because it was so expensive. The rest of the time, we wrote letters. We actually got engaged through the mail.” Hylton and his wife recently celebrated the birth of their second daughter.
Love Letters also features Shanan Wexler as Melissa Gardner. Wexler, who has a Ph.D. in theatre history and theory, is well known on the Twin Cities’ improv and sketch comedy circuit for her signature style and energy. “I am honored to be working with such a talented cast,” says Love Letters director Michael Venske, “I’m excited to see where their instincts take them.”
WTC’s presentation of Love Letters will be performed at The Warren, February 9 at 7:30 p.m. This fifth installment of their Reader’s Theatre Series follows on the heels of January’s sold-out House, directed by Cris Tibbetts and starring WTC artistic director Jeff Redman. Patrons who took advantage of the 15 percent discount at Papa’s Pizza before or after the show can look forward to a similar “Night Out in Camden” special on February 9 (just in time for Valentine’s Day). For info or to reserve tickets, email info@workhousetheatre.org.
In March, Workhouse Theatre Company will hold auditions for their main stage show, A Company of Wayward Saints by George Herman. Email info@workhousetheatre.org to register to receive audition updates.