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“It is beautifully fitting that Dear Jack, Dear Louise opens this July 2026. This poignant story of love, sacrifice, and resilience during World War II honors the spirit of those who came before us, making it a meaningful way to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday.”
Dear Jack, Dear Louise
by Ken Ludwig
directed by Robin Gordon
Presented at the Shimberg Playhouse
Straz Center for the Performing Arts
1010 N Macinnes Pl, Tampa, FL 33603
Preview July 9, 2026
OPENING NIGHT July 10, 2026, 7:30pm
PRE-SHOW CELEBRATION July 10, 2026, 6pm
Join us for our traditional pre-show mix & mingle to celebrate America’s 250th and this charming salute to the things and the people worth living and fighting for.
Run July 9-26, 2026
Season Sponsors:
The Gobioff Foundation
Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners
Andrea Graham & Geoff Simon
Production Sponsors:
Hal Freedman & Willi Rudowsky
Ticketing Sponsor:
Russell Buchan
Opening Night Sponsors:
Andrea Graham & Geoff Simon
U.S. Army Captain Jack Ludwig, a military doctor stationed in Oregon, begins writing to Louise Rabiner, an aspiring actress and dancer in New York City, hoping to meet her someday if the war will allow. But as the war continues, it threatens to end their relationship before it even starts. Tony Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig (Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Lend Me a Tenor) tells the joyous, heartwarming story of his parents’ courtship during World War II and the results are anything but expected.
“An affecting love letter to unlikely romance… a poignant, funny tribute to the enduring power of human connection.”
– The Washington Post
“Ludwig’s play, though about a particular moment in his personal history as well as our collective history, also resonates today. Dear Jack, Dear Louise is a moving, funny, and heartbreaking reminder of what we should strive to become, individually and as a country.”
– BroadwayWorld
“Moving and cinematic… The play, based on the correspondence of Ludwig’s parents-to-be, crackles with humor and real feeling.”
– DC Theatre Scene
“An intimate play with tremendous breadth… Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise plumbs the depths of human courage, commitment, and connection when the world and your heart are at stake.”
– DC Metro Theater Arts