Interview: Ken Ludwig Talks His Latest Project- DEAR JACK, DEAR LOUISE

Penguin Rep Theatre and Shadowland Stages is currently presenting Ken Ludwig's DEAR JACK, DEAR LOUISE at 59E59 Theaters, directed by Stephen Nachamie. Two strangers – a military doctor in Oregon and an aspiring actress in New York City – meet by letter during World War II. They dream of being together someday, but the war keeps them apart for years. Will letters be enough to spark a love story? 

Tony Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor, Crazy for You) tells the true story of his parents' courtship during World War II in this new play, signed, sealed, and delivered straight from the heart. Ken tells us all about the play and his process in the interview below:

When did you first realize your penchant for writing?

I’ve been a writer since as long as I can remember.  My earliest memories include the thrill I felt whenever I went to the theatre.  And I have been enamored with Shakespeare since my early teens.  The watershed was when I was about ten years old:  My parents gave me a recording of Richard Burton’s Hamlet and I wore out the LPs listening to it again and again.  After that, I started writing, with a pad and paper, every day of the year.

What piece of advice do you have for aspiring playwrights?

I have two bits of advice: The first one is:  read, read, and read some more. I read and reread plays by the hundreds to get the narrative structures and linguistic cadences in my bones. If you want to write, you have to read.  Second, writing plays is a profession, and you need to pursue it with the same diligence as you would any other profession. Don’t wait around for divine inspiration—wake up every day, sit down, and put words on the page.

Given with all of your successes on Broadway and beyond, can you tell us about some of the challenges of your profession?

My father used to say, “If you don’t wake up every morning and look forward to going to work, you’ve made a mistake, and you need to go back and fix it.”  In other words, do what you love.  I wish I could spend every minute writing, so I suppose the biggest challenge is everything that calls me away and demands my attention. Writing a play is a craft, but making a living as a playwright is a business, and the two things don’t necessarily require the same skills. Fortunately, people in this industry are in it because they love it, and that lightens the stress of getting plays produced.  Also, I take pride in being a professional.  I'm a professional writer.  That means I don’t just do it occasionally.  It’s not a hobby.  The word “playwright” is spelled “wright.”  A wright is a tradesman.  A craftsman.  Like a wheelwright and a cartwright.  It’s a profession, not a hobby. 

People have another week to see your gem of a play, Dear Jack, Dear Louise.  We know that it is a reflection of your parents' romance. Can you tell us a little about your research and how long it took you to craft the piece?

The story is true—my father was a doctor drafted in the second world war, stationed in Oregon, and my mother was an aspiring showgirl in New York. They really did meet and fall in love through letters. Those letters were always part of our family lore, but when my parents passed away, the letters were nowhere to be found.   Therefore, in order to write this play, I had to create the letters from scratch.  But the  writing came fairly easily. I loved my parents and just let their voices come out through the play. As for research, I’m a big World War II buff, and I’m constantly reading about the war.  So I channeled that interest into the fabric of the play.

What have been some of the audience and critic reactions to Dear Jack, Dear Louise?

The responses have really been wonderful. I’ve been especially struck by how many people tell me their own family stories about romance during the war—how many bundles of precious letters are in attics around this country. It’s also remarkable how young people find resonance in the play.  In many ways, my parents’ letters aren’t that different from people finding and connecting to each other online; and my parents' experiences facing the catastrophe of war are mirrored in our own experiences of facing a global pandemic and growing political unrest.

What would you like audiences to know about the show?

I’d like them to know how deeply important this play is to me, and I hope that they find strength and joy in an earnest story of love helping us overcome all of the challenges of a world in turmoil. 

Can you share with us some of your future plans?

I’ve just completed three straight months of travel, getting up two back-to-back world premieres:  Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile at Arena Stage and Lady Molly of Scotland Yard at Asolo Rep. I’m now back at home, hard at work writing my next original comedy.  In the Spring, I’ll be over in London for a workshop on another exciting project - a national tour of a new play that is going out for over a year through the UK, Ireland and China.  I’ll be back in London during the summer for the rehearsals of that play.  I always have lots of balls in the air and I love it that way.

Anything else, absolutely anything you want BWW readers to know!

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