Village Players Present LOVE LETTERS With Burt Natarus, Cathi Watson 5/13-16

Village Players Performing Arts Center presents Love Letters - featuring Burt Natarus, former Chicago 42nd Ward Alderman and Radio Talk Show Host/Producer, Cathi Watson - in a special, limited run engagement, Wednesday, May 13, 2009 & Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

Love Letters is a Pulitzer Prize for Drama nominated play which centers on just two characters, Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd, III. The performance format is unique, in that the actors sit side by side at tables, reading the cards and letters they have exchanged over the past fifty years. These letters describe the hopes, dreams, successes and failures that have passed between them throughout their separated lives.

In his preface to Love Letters, A. R. Gurney suggests that his emphasis in this play on the importance of writing is more than coincidental. Many in the audience leave a powerful Love Letters performance with a tear on their cheeks.

The play is a performance favorite for busy name actors, for it requires little preparation, and lines need not be memorized. Past performances range from Colleen Dewhurst and Jason Robards to Mel Gibson and Sissey Spacek, with dozens in between. ElizaBeth Taylor and James Earl Jones raised over one million dollars for her AIDS Foundation with their 2007 one-night performance.

Cathi Watson, who portrays Melissa, has played a remarkable number of other roles, including wife, mother, professional speaker, business owner, dancer, model, radio and television performer, author, and athlete, among others. A "Chicago born and bred devotee of challenges, drama and intrigue" her mission is to "change America's perception of AGING NOW! " Her unstoppable energy is a delight to see.

As the second longest serving member on the Chicago City Council, Former Alderman Burton F. Natarus was elected by the people of the 42nd Ward for nine consecutive terms. During his tenure, Natarus transformed Chicago's downtown into one of the most vibrant and successful areas of the city.

The Production is being directed by Village Players Theatre Artistic Director, Carl Occhipinti

Love Letters performs Wednesday, May 13, 2009 & Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $20.

Presented in the Blackbox Theater of the Village Players Performing Arts Center located at 1010 Madison St., Oak Park. Plenty of parking is available on the street. The theater is handicap accessible; please call ahead to arrange for special seating. More information is available at www.village-players.org or 866-764-1010.

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