Mark your calendar for a moving night of live theatre—Letters From Max is coming to Gesa Power House Theatre. Catch one of two performances: Saturday, September 20 at 7 PM or Sunday, September 21 at 2PM.

Directed by beloved local director Nancy Simon, this intimate play is based on the epistolary book Letters From Max: A Poet, a Teacher, a Friendship by acclaimed playwright Sarah Ruhl and her former student, the late poet Max Ritvo.

Part memoir, part meditation, and part conversation across time, Letters From Max unfolds through a series of letters and poems exchanged between teacher and student as Max navigates a terminal illness. With lyricism, humor, and fierce honesty, the play explores art, mortality, and what it means to be deeply known. Praised by The New York Times as “a theatrical act of remembrance and a sacrament of grief… but it’s also a comedy,” this Off-Broadway hit gently invites audiences to sit with the joy and ache of human connection.

Nancy Simon, Professor Emeritus at Whitman College, brings a lifetime of theater experience and emotional nuance to the Power House stage. After nearly 50 years of directing at Whitman’s Harper Joy Theatre, Simon’s return to local theater with Letters From Max is both a homecoming and a tribute. With performances that balance poetic stillness and emotional honesty, this play is a rare invitation to witness the healing power of language—and the unbreakable bonds of friendship.

Reserved seating tickets start at just $15 and are available now online at phtww.org or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

About Gesa Power House Theatre: The historic Gesa Power House Theatre is a 300-seat performing arts venue, located in downtown Walla Walla. The 120-year-old building was once the Walla Walla Gas Plant, built to produce coal gas used to light the streets, businesses, and homes of Walla Walla. In 2011 the Gesa Power House Theatre building was transformed into a state-of-the-art playhouse for live performance. The interior design of the theatre was inspired by Shakespeare’s own intimate Blackfriars Theatre in London, England. The Gesa Power House Theatre is on the Washington State Building Preservation Commission list of State historic buildings and on the National Register of Historic Places. The venue also hosts a variety of other cultural events, musical concerts, and private events (including weddings).