Love Letters is a play by A. R. Gurney that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play centers on two characters, Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III. Using the epistolary form sometimes found in novels, they sit side by side at tables and read the notes, letters and cards – in which over nearly 50 years, they discuss their hopes and ambitions, dreams and disappointments, victories and defeats – that have passed between them throughout their lives. 

Stefanie Powers career spans nearly five decades, beginning as a teenager under contract to Columbia Pictures in the last days of the studio star system. She has over 27 motion pictures to her credit and has co-starred with such as; John Wayne, Patrick Wayne, Lana Turner, and Bing Crosby. Her first television series, “The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.,” marked a milestone in U.S. television's history as the first hour long series featuring a female in the leading role. Her television career includes 22 mini-series, over 200 television shows and movies for television, two more television series, “The Feather and Father Gang” and the long running “Hart to Hart” starring opposite Robert Wagner. Her “other life” is in wildlife conservation and she is president and founder of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation. She is a Fellow of the Los Angeles Zoo, The Royal Geographical Society and the Explorers’ Club. She is the recipient of many conservation awards and she has participated in numerous documentaries on wildlife, conservation and the environment. 

Patrick Wayne is the son of famed Academy Award winning actor, John Wayne, and godson of Oscar winning director, John Ford, Patrick Wayne is a veteran of over thirty-five motion pictures, four television series, as well as numerous television episodes and commercials. Wayne was born in Los Angeles, California, attended Loyola High School and, upon graduation, entered Loyola University in California, where he received his B.S. degree in Biology and a minor in Philosophy. Wayne began his acting career at the age of eleven and, with the exception of active duty in the Coast Guard, he’s been at it ever since. “I had reservations about becoming an actor from the time that I entered college,” he says, “I thought I would get a better perspective about a career if my major were something apart from acting. College years and time in the Coast Guard gave me a more objective slant and I finally decided that I wanted a career in the entertainment business.” Many of the films Wayne has appeared in have become memorable examples of American motion picture making. His credits include The Long Grey Line, Mister Roberts, The Searchers, The Alamo, and McLintock!, to name but a few. In television, Wayne has been equally active having starred in two dramatic series, Shirley and The Rounders, and has been featured on more than ninety television commercials. He has been the Chairman of the Board of the John Wayne Cancer Institute since 2003, and is the father of Michael, Melanie, Matthew, and Anthony.

This special performance of Love Letters is a benefit for the William Holden Wildlife Foundation.