Necessary Angel releases trailer for Letters From Max, a ritual
Necessary Angel Theatre Company has released a trailer for its upcoming production of Sarah Ruhl’s Letters From Max, a ritual at The Theatre Centre.
Ruhl’s play, an adaptation of her 2018 book Letters from Max: A Poet, a Teacher, and a Friendship, is built from letters and poems passed between Ruhl and her former student Max Ritvo, who battled Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of pediatric cancer.
Letters From Max, a ritual premiered off-Broadway in February 2023 at the Signature Theatre, where it received strong reviews and was deemed a New York Times critic’s pick.
Necessary Angel’s Canadian premiere production will be directed by Alan Dilworth, the company’s artistic director. Dilworth is no stranger to Ruhl’s work: in 2013, he co-directed and co-produced a production of her three-act epic Passion Play with Sheep No Wool, Convergence Theatre, and Outside the March; and in 2015, he directed a critically acclaimed staging of Eurydice at Soulpepper Theatre.
The production stars Maev Beaty and Jesse LaVercombe. Joining them is a design team made up of Michelle Tracey (set and costumes), Rebecca Picherack (lighting), and Debashis Sinha (sound).
“Letters From Max, a ritual, is a stunning, life-giving play that breathes language and love into life,” said Dilworth in a press release. “I think this play is an antidote for our time, and that it helps audiences slow down, take stock, and connect with what matters most to them.”
Letters From Max, a ritual runs at The Theatre Centre from November 10 to December 3. Tickets are available here.
Liam Donovan
Liam is Intermission’s senior editor. He lives in Toronto. His Substack newsletter is available at loamdonovan.substack.com.
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