Play earns ovations, dollars for schools

Veteran actors Gregory Harrison and Linda Purl brought a packed house to their feet on October 2 at the Tower Theatre in Bend with their dazzling performances in the A.R. Gurney play "Love Letters."

The play was a benefit organized by Sisters Starry Nights as a fundraiser for Sisters schools.

The two-actor play tells the story of the extraordinary relationship between dutiful, responsible attorney Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and free-spirited, cynical artist Melissa Gardner, whose lives have been entwined since they met in second grade. "Love Letters" brings to life their correspondence over 50 years, chronicling hopes, dreams, romance, marriage, and separation; from teenage valentines to the letters and postcards that mark the trials of adulthood.

"It was such a compelling story - it drew you in, and never let you go," one playgoer said. "By the end of the play, you feel as though you know these characters intimately... you share their emotions as they experience them and find yourself rooting for them through the humor and the heartbreak."

The two actors sit at vintage writing desks as they read and respond to the letters that chronicle their life journeys and the many times they intersect over the decades. The set was elegantly designed by Vicki Everson and Debbie Williams, longtime Starry Nights volunteers who worked closely with local businesses including Touchmark at Mt. Bachelor Village and the Area Rug Connection in creating the perfect ambiance for the play.

Sisters High School instructor of theatre arts, Gary Bowne, served as stage manager and production consultant, coordinating the efforts of the Tower Theatre technical staff and overseeing the afternoon rehearsal and performance that evening.

The play was produced by the Starry Nights team of Jeri Fouts, Susan Arends and Novella Swisher.

Harrison and Purl traveled from Los Angeles and donated their time in support of Sisters schools. Harrison, who raised his four children in Oregon, and Purl, whose husband is a school administrator, are both well aware of the funding issues facing public schools in Oregon and across the country.

The actors enjoyed the experience as much as the audience did.

Purl was full of praise for the Starry Nights organizers and the production team.

"It was just impeccably done," she said. "Every detail was seen to. It's a real tribute to Jeri and her team."

The quality of the event was no surprise to Harrison, who met Fouts 25 years ago through charity events she organized. The two have been friends since.

"She was so amazingly good at it that everybody wanted to be involved in anything she was organizing," Harrison told The Nugget.

Fouts has sought his involvement in Starry Nights for years, but it never worked out.

"I was always busy," he said. "She called this year and I said, 'You know what, this year, I'm putting it on my calendar.'"

He's glad he did, because he found a piece of the elusive "theater magic" that is the brass ring for those who tread the boards.

"Last night's audience was so generous. Even before we walked out, you could hear the crowd and excitement and enthusiasm," he said.

Purl concurred.

"They (the audience) were fantastic," she said. "It's a play that required listening, and they were great listeners."

Both actors were touched by the letters they received from Sisters students, thanking them for their donated efforts to help fund cash-strapped schools.

"It was very touching," Purl said.

"It was so sweet," Harrison said. "I'm hanging onto the letters because some of them were so extraordinary."

A lively silent auction took place in the lobby, managed by Deborah Wattenburg, with assistance from Shirleen and Gary Cundiff, Marcia Rietmann, Kyle Wattenburg and Sarah Douglass. The auction items included original art pieces by acclaimed artists Norma Holmes and Kathy Deggendorfer; a guitar signed by Crosby, Stills and Nash; a quilt donated by Stitchin' Post; and a golf package with Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts at Brasada Ranch.

The Starry Nights production was a benefit for the Sisters Schools Foundation, raising upwards of $17,000 in net proceeds for the cause.

"It's so encouraging to see what activists can do," Purl said, noting the "level of commitment of this organization to the cause."

Harrison seconded that observation.

"You could really sense that everyone was working together for a common cause, and that's a wonderful thing," he said. "It's one of the things that I love about Oregon."