Gate Theatre presents

Dear Elizabeth

“I hope you aren’t thinking that I am a) dead b) annoyed. I’m neither, but I did have flu.”

Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell were two of America’s most brilliant poets. Throughout their lifetime, they wrote over 400 letters to each other; spanning decades, continents, political eras. Their connection was messy and profound, platonic yet romantic, intense and intangible. A love that resists easy definition.

These are their words.

Susan Smith Blackburn award winner Sarah Ruhl has crafted a stunning and quietly bold piece of theatre about what it means to love someone, and all the questions we regret never asking.

We’re excited to announce that two different performers will take the roles of Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell for each performance. They will meet each other, the audience, and the story of Robert and Elizabeth at the same time. They won't know how the story ends: they will discover it with the audience.