Milkweed Editions
1011 S Washington Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55415
United States
More information to come soon!
Join us for an intimate staged reading of Sarah Ruhl’s Letters from Max At Open Book. Featuring Sarah Agnew and Jesse Lavercombe, and directed by Christina Baldwin.
Max Ritvo is an exceptional young man: a student at Yale, member of an experimental comedy troupe, and insightful poet. When he applies to Sarah Ruhl’s playwriting workshop, he finds not only a mentor, but a friend.
When Max finds out his childhood cancer has returned, the two begin writing letters to each other. Their correspondence, both humorous and profound, explores questions of creating art, the meaning of work and the strange experience of being human. Based on these real communications, LETTERS FROM MAX is an emotional mosaic of letters, poetry, music and dialogue that showcases theatre’s ability to express the ineffable.
LETTERS FROM MAX is an intimate and poetic stage adaption of Sarah Ruhl (IN THE NEXT ROOM, THE OLDEST BOY) and Max Ritvo’s 2018 book of the same title.
Why Now
The Jungle Theater is in a strategic pause, working toward long-term sustainability and a reimagined future. This event helps sustain the organization, support artists, and keep vital work alive.
Why It Matters
• Stabilizes the Jungle Theater in a critical moment
• Invests in artists and partnerships
• Advances the next chapter of theater in our community
Our Partners
Presented in collaboration with Milkweed Editions and Open Book—bringing together literary and performing arts communities for a shared purpose.
Max Ritvo
Max Ritvo (1990-2016) wrote Four Reincarnations in New York and Los Angeles over the course of a long battle with cancer. He was also the author of The Final Voicemails, edited and introduced by Louise Glück, and co-authored Letters from Max with Sarah Ruhl; both books were published posthumously. Ritvo’s poetry has appeared in the New Yorker and Poetry, among many other publications.
Sarah Ruhl
Sarah Ruhl’s plays include In the Next Room, or the vibrator play (Pulitzer Prize finalist, Tony Award nominee), and The Clean House (Pulitzer Prize finalist, winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize), among many others. She is recipient of the MacArthur “genius” grant, and of, most recently, the 2016 Steinberg Prize. She is currently on the faculty of the Yale School of Drama and lives in Brooklyn with her family.
Studded with poems and songs, this correspondence is a deeply moving portrait of a friendship, and a shimmering exploration of love, art, mortality, and joy.