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with
ACTORS
Ben Edelman
Jessica Hecht
Zane Pais
02.07.23 - 03.19.23
| Setting: New Haven, New York, California, and nowhere on a map. Between 2011 and 2016 |
120 MINUTES
Including one 15-minute intermission
Signature Theatre presents the world premiere production of MacArthur Fellow Sarah Ruhl’s Letters from Max, a ritual, directed by Kate Whoriskey, based on the book by Sarah Ruhl and Max Ritvo (Milkweed Editions). Ruhl adapts the 2018 epistolary book Letters from Max: A Poet, a Teacher, a Friendship, “a resonant and profound contribution from two fully formed artists to the literature of illness” (Slate), into a lyrical hybrid work that flows between full-hearted letters, poetry, music, and dialogue. With Letters from Max, Ruhl shares a personal correspondence, in the various forms it assumes between two people fervently pursuing, and offering one another the generosity of, higher expression. In these notes, verses, and utterances, her former student, the late poet Max Ritvo (Four Reincarnations), openly discusses terminal illness and tests poetry’s capacity to put to words what otherwise feels ineffable.
Season Sponsor
Lead Sponsor
Signature Theatre's Season Sponsor is Bloomberg Philanthropies.
| CAST | |
| Character | Name |
| Max and Tattoo Artist - Waiter - Angel | Ben Edelman |
| Sarah | Jessica Hecht |
| Max and Tattoo Artist - Waiter - Angel | Zane Pais |
| PRODUCTION STAFF | |
| Production Stage Manager | Shelley Miles |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Katie Kennedy |
| Assistant Director | Polly Noonan |
| Assistant Scenic Designer | Michael Bennet Lewis and Erica (Jiaying Zhang) |
| Assistant Costume Designer | Audrey Petersen |
| Assistant Lighting Designer | Alex Fetchko |
|
Assistant Sound Designer |
Tye Hunt Tucker |
| Assistant Projection Designer | David Forsee and Blake Manns |
| Production Manager | Lay Hoon Tan |
| Production Assistant | Zea Zurovitch |
| Artistic Line Producer | Maia Safani |
| Company Manager | Caroline Knapp |
| COVID Safety Manager | Isaac Van Curen |
| Production Electrician | Jordan Smith |
| Production Audio | Alex Loving, Brendan Martins, Rebecca Werner |
| Production Video | Samy Ravs |
| Lighting Board Programmer | Matt Steinberg |
| Deck Carpenter | Sean Bertrand |
| Light Board Operator | Luke van Meveren |
| A1 | Jackson Williams |
| Wardrobe Supervisor | Alissa Jaquin |
| Carpenters | Adam Pagdon, Alyssa Armstrong, Fran McCrann, Jackson Berkley, Rachel Behrman, Robert Boyle, Sean Bertrand, Teru Uchiyama, Zachary White |
| Electricians | Brandon O'Connell, Clement Goodman, Conor Thiele. Emma Havranek, Elvin Veliz, Jessie Hamilton, Joe Bilello, Jon Naranjo, Jose Volmar, JP Faienza, Omri, Schwartz, Roberto Manco-Stenz, Tony Thorn |
| Audio & Video Crew | Ashur Rayis, Brandon O'Connell, Brendan Martins, Emilie Canino, Franco Giacomarra, Jackson Alexander, Josh Northcutt, Rebecca Werner, Stephanie Beattie |
| Costume Shop Crew | Kenny McQueen, Liv Rigdon, Raul Luna, Sarah Kelly, Sarah Knight |
| Props Artisans | Andrew Diaz, Patrice Escandon |
| Production Assistant | Zea Zurovitch |
| Assistant to the Director | Yarin Neuhaus |
| CREDITS | |
| Scene Shop | Daedalus Design and Production |
| Lighting Equipment Rental | 4Wall Entertainment |
| Audio Equipment Rental | Production Resource Group |
| Projection Rental | 4Wall Entertainment |
| Music Credits | Original music by Ben Edelman, Zane Pais and Sinan Refik Zafar |
| "Garden Finale" Original music by Max Ritvo | |
| SPECIAL THANKS | |
| Poem to My Litter Video played in lobby - Animation Directed and Designed by Nate Milton | |
| From the playwright: I also want to thank these amazing and generous people who helped make this production a reality: Cynthia Nixon, Melanie Lazenby, Alexa Eccles, Rachel Weisz, Shira Piven, John Beinecke, Matt Ross, Kathleen Chalfant and Daniel Slager and the whole Milkweed team. | |
The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
The Director and/or Choreographer is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE is the union representing scenic, costume, lighting, sound and projection designers in Live Performance.
The musicians employed in this production are members of the Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians.
