The Valley Players present A. R. Gurney's classic, award-winning play of romance-by-post, Love Letters, for four nights only: on February 7 & 8 and 14 & 22, at 7:30pm, at Black Birch Vineyard, 108 Straits Road, Hatfield, MA. 

Tickets are on a pay-what-you-can scale starting at $15. Half of net ticket proceeds from Love Letters will be donated to River Valley Counseling Center, a nonprofit community-based mental health agency that has been serving the Valley for over 70 years.

The Valley Players production of Love Letters features two different Valley actors on each evening of the run. Chip Roughton, of Florence, and Kimberly Salditt-Poulin, of Amherst, play the roles of “Andy” and “Melissa” for opening night on February 7. David Bull, of Hadley, and Becca Greene-Van Horn, of Amherst, take the stage the next night, on February 8. On Valentine’s Day, February 14, the cast features Paul Rothenberg and Katie Hertel, both of Amherst. The closing night show will be performed by Lisa Parker, of Suffield CT, and Konrad Rogowski, of Chicopee. The show is produced and directed by Matteo Pangallo, of Shutesbury.

Doors open at 6:30pm and seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis. The play runs 1 hour and 45 minutes, inclusive of a 15-minute intermission. Black Birch Vineyard is handicapped accessible. Note that this play contains language and adult situations which might not be appropriate for all ages. 

Before the show and during intermission, audience members will be able to purchase fine wine by the glass from Black Birch Vineyard and a selection of sodas from Harmony Springs of Ludlow. A delectable spread of light bites will be available for purchase as well, including a grazing bar of custom-crafted charcuterie boards and pre-ordered snack boxes from E Silver Charcuterie of Westfield (link to pre-order boxes is provided in the confirmation email after booking tickets). Black Birch wines will also be available for purchase by the bottle to take home.

Simple by design but moving in effect, Love Letters takes the form of two characters sharing the letters they have written each other from kindergarten through their golden years, relating their struggles and triumphs, dreams and fears, and setbacks and second chances. Over the course of the evening, the often complicated, deeply touching, always messy story of their evolving love unfolds against the backdrop of the tumultuous events of the mid- to late-twentieth century.

Beloved by actors and audiences alike, Gurney’s classic play has featured some of the biggest names of stage and screen of the past 40 years, including Kathleen Turner, William Hurt, Christopher Reeve, Christopher Walken, Frances Sternhagen, Stockard Channing, Jane Curtin, Robert Vaughan, Mia Farrow, Carol Burnett, Alan Alda, Candice Bergen, Anjelica Huston, Martin Sheen, Matthew Broderick, Brooke Shields, Charlton Heston, Mel Gibson, Sissy Spacek, Liza Minnelli, Desi Arnaz, Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Daniels, Bernadette Peters, Elizabeth Taylor, James Earl Jones, Sam Elliott, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Sally Field, and Tony Shalhoub.

The Valley Players is an entirely volunteer-run nonprofit group with a mission to enrich the quality of life in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts by producing nimble, meaningful, and accessible community theater. All donations and business sponsorships are tax-deductible and go fully to support the organization’s mission and programming. Join the Valley Players contact list to stay in-the-know about all of the group's upcoming shows, events, auditions, and volunteer opportunities.

Refunds and exchanges policy: Tickets are non-exchangeable. Refunds are available for cancellations made 48 hours before the show or in the event of show cancellation or rescheduling. In the event of rescheduling of a show, ticket-holders of the original performance time will have the option to exchange their tickets for the new date and time before remaining tickets become available for general purchase.