Casting Announcement for DEAR JACK, DEAR LOUISE

VIRGINIA THEATRE FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
FOR KEN LUDWIG’S DEAR JACK, DEAR LOUISE

HEARTWARMING TALE OF LONG-DISTANCE LOVE DURING WORLD WAR II
TO FEATURE SUZANNAH HERSCHKOWITZ AND JORDAN SOBEL

Dear Jack, Dear Louise, Directed by Jeffrey Meanza, To Open July 21 at Helms Theatre

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – May 9 – The Virginia Theatre Festival has announced that its upcoming production of Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise, the heartwarming two-person play about a World War II courtship conducted entirely by mail, will star Suzannah Herschkowitz and Jordan Sobel.

Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise, which captures the story of the Tony Award-winning playwright’s own parents’ cross-country, pen-and-paper-powered love story, will be directed by Jeffrey Meanza. The show will open on Friday, July 21 at Helms Theatre.

Suzannah Herschkowitz’s theater credits include roles in Detroit ’67 at Virginia Stage Company, Coriolanus, under the direction of Daniel Sullivan at The Public Theater, Surfacing at PCTF, and Blue Window at 29^th Street Rep. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where she appeared in productions including Golden Boy, Three Sisters, Hamlet, Pranayama, Richard II, and Queens Boulevard. On television, she has appeared in the TBS series The Last O.G., starring Tracy Morgan.

Jordan Sobel is a Brooklyn, NY-based actor, percussionist, fight designer, and teaching artist whose theater credits include Barefoot in the Park at Gulfshore Playhouse, The Play that Goes Wrong at Pioneer Theatre Company, My Name is Asher Lev at Playhouse on the Park, and Disgraced at Asolo Repertory Theatre. His film and television credits include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon), Julia (HBO), The Village (NBC), and Paradise, FL (Tri-Force Pictures). Jordan holds an M.F.A in Acting from The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training at The Asolo Rep.

Jeffrey Meanza is the Associate Artistic Director of Playmakers Repertory Company. He has directed at the Guthrie Theater, PlayMakers Repertory Company, and Theatre Raleigh, among others.

The production features scenic design by Sasha Schwartz, costume design by Jess Beyer, lighting design by Latrice Lovett, and sound design by Michael Rasbury. The vocal coach is Tovah Close. Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.

The Virginia Theatre Festival’s 2023 season will open on July 7 at the Culbreth Theatre with the Kander and Ebb classic Cabaret, directed and choreographed by Matthew Steffens. The season will also include An Evening with Yolanda Rabun, opening August 3 at Culbreth Theatre. Rabun, who wowed audiences last summer as Nina Simone in her one-woman show No Fear and Blues Long Gone: Nina Simone, will take audiences on a musical evening that will include Broadway, jazz, blues, gospel standards, and more.

The Virginia Theatre Festival is a program of the University of Virginia and is supported by the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts, UVA Department of Drama, and UVA Arts. The 2023 Virginia Theatre Festival is also supported by a generous grant from The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.

The Virginia Theatre Festival’s 2023 Membership Program offers patrons a chance to support VTF, while also gaining access to purchase tickets in advance of public sales. For more information on ways to support the upcoming VTF season, visit virginiatheatrefestival.org/support.

Individual tickets for the full VTF 2023 season will go on sale to the public on June 6. Volunteer opportunities are also available this summer, and more information can be found here. To learn more about the Virginia Theatre Festival and its upcoming 2023 season, visit virginiatheatrefestival.org.