Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  1w, 1m

Ken Ludwig

When two strangers meet by letter during World War II, a love story begins. Tony Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig tells the joyous, heartwarming story of his parents’ courtship and the results are anything but expected.

Image: 2022 Northlight Theatre Production (Michael Brosilow)

Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 1m
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Romantic Comedy
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for all audiences
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 2020 Helen Hayes / Charles MacArthur Award for Best New Play or Musical of the Year
Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise

Details

Summary
U.S. Army Captain Jack Ludwig, a military doctor stationed in Oregon, begins writing to Louise Rabiner, an aspiring actress and dancer in New York City, hoping to meet her someday if the war will allow. But as the war continues, it threatens to end their relationship before it even starts. Tony Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig (Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Lend Me a Tenor) tells the joyous, heartwarming story of his parents’ courtship during World War II and the results are anything but expected.
History
After a staged reading at the Folger Theatre in Washington, DC on March 27, 2018, Dear Jack, Dear Louise premiered at Arena Stage in Washington, DC on November 21, 2019.
Keywords
Performing Groups

JACK – about 30. He is reserved and wears khakis to suggest that he’s in the Army.
LOUISE – in her early to mid 20s. She is outgoing and stylish.

  • Time Period 1940s / WWII
  • Setting June 1942 - May 1945.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 105 Minutes

Media

“An affecting love letter to unlikely romance... a poignant, funny tribute to the enduring power of human connection.” – The Washington Post

“Ludwig's play, though about a particular moment in his personal history as well as our collective history, also resonates today. Dear Jack, Dear Louise is a moving, funny, and heartbreaking reminder of what we should strive to become, individually and as a country.” – BroadwayWorld

“Moving and cinematic... The play, based on the correspondence of Ludwig’s parents-to-be, crackles with humor and real feeling.” – DC Theatre Scene

“An intimate play with tremendous breadth... Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise plumbs the depths of human courage, commitment, and connection when the world and your heart are at stake.” – DC Metro Theater Arts

“Strikes the touchstones of the online dating age with uncanny precision.” – The Washington Post

For more info, visit kenludwig.com.

Photos

  • Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise

    Image: 2022 Northlight Theatre Production (Michael Brosilow)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $130 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Ken Ludwig

Ken Ludwig

Ken Ludwig has had six productions on Broadway and eight in London’s West End. His 34 plays and musicals are staged around the world and throughout the United States every night of the year.

His first play, Lend Me a Tenor, won two Tony Awards and was called “one of the classi ...

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