Poets’ Lives in Letters Onstage at Guild Hall
“Dear Elizabeth: The Letters of Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell,” a play in letters by Sarah Ruhl, will be performed at Guild Hall by Kathleen Chalfant and Harris Yulin on Saturday at 8 p.m. The friendship between Bishop and Lowell, two of the 20th century’s most notable poets, spanned 30 years and yielded more than 400 letters, from which Ms. Ruhl drew a portrait of the intertwined lives of two very different personalities.
The play premiered Off Broadway last October with Ms. Chalfant and Mr. Yulin in the title roles, which were subsequently played by a rotating roster of actors. According to Charles Isherwood of The New York Times, “Ms. Chalfant’s lovely, husky voice brings mellow nuances of emotion to the letters, without ever stepping into any histrionic puddles. . . . Mr. Yulin deftly combines the poet’s fierce defense of his work with a sense of contrition and sensitivity to his friend’s criticism.”
Tickets for the play, which also stars Chloe Dirksen, are $30 to $50, $28 to $48 for members.
The John Drew Theater Lab will return after a summer hiatus with a free reading of “H . . .,” a new play by Megan Minutillo, on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. It is the story of three teenagers, Zoe, Gemma, and Owen, who are struggling with heroin addiction and its effect on their lives and those of their families and friends.
Ms. Minutillo has directed and produced productions at Guild Hall and the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor as well as throughout the tristate area.
Guild Hall will launch Guild Gathering: Creative Networking Night, a new programming initiative of the East Hanpton Arts Council designed to engage and connect artists, professionals, and the public on the East End, next Thursday evening from 7 to 9. During the first hour, artists from various disciplines will present their work, after which the audience and presenters will have an opportunity to meet and interact.
Presenters for the first program will be Annette Danto, a filmmaker; Dalton Portella, an artist, musician, and surfer; Charles Ly, an artist; Alex Mankiewicz, an illustrator, and Lisa Trivell, an artist and healer. The free programs will take place in the Boots Lamb Education Center.