The Letters Project 2
ArtsUP! LA’s Veterans Empowerment Theatre and Returning Soldiers Speak Present the World Premiere of
The Letters Project 2: Connections Beyond Time
June 19 – June 28, 2026
At the Blue Door Theater in Culver City
The 2024 inaugural The Letters Project, Across Time: Love & Humanity During War, was such a huge success that Returning Soldiers Speak is again collaborating with ArtsUP! LA for The Letters Project 2: Connections Beyond Time, an original theater piece produced by Bryan Caldwell and Leilani Square, and directed by Karl Risinger.
For the past six months ArtsUP! LA’s Veterans Empowerment Theatre and Returning Soldiers Speak have been collecting, researching, and curating letters and correspondence written by military veterans to members of their family and friends which embody the hopes, fears, and observations of those deployed during wartime from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.
Both groups believe in the transformative power of story which gives voice to veterans who have experienced war, as well as showing how the different wars affected and continue to affect their relationship to the military. The veteran playwrights, each with their own experience in the United States Armed Forces, bring authenticity and depth to the shared stories from their fellow veterans.
Playwrights and Cast
The playwrights include head playwright Leilani Squire with Cynthia Ridyard, Keith Dow, Will Sims, PG Pilliteri, Jeffrey Webster, and Richard DiSaito, who used the shared historical documents to write monologues and scenes for The Letters Project 2: Connections Beyond Time.
Featured in the cast (in alphabetical order) are Maggie Borgen, Nicholas Cormier III, Chiara Gheller, William Duffy, Mason Kennerly, Chris Loverro, Rolphe Miceus, Cynthia Ridyard, Jalen Travers, and Vince Wainwright. The technical team includes set builder Lanny Savoie and lighting designer Doug Gabrielle. Stage manager is Heather Saturday.
Performance Details
Six live performances of The Letters Project 2: Connections Beyond Time will take place June 19 through Sunday, June 28, at the Blue Door Theater, 9617 Venice Blvd. in Culver City, CA 90232.
Friday, June 19 and June 26 @ 8pm
Saturday, June 20 and June 27 @ 8pm
Sunday, June 21 and June 28 @ 3pm
Through these live performances, audience members will witness a myriad of humanity which offer a new perspective and understanding about what it means to serve. There will be a short talkback with the playwrights, director, and cast members after each performance, giving audience members a chance to share their thoughts and ask questions.
General admission tickets are $20, available online, or at the box office 30 minutes prior to the performance.
The premiere performances are made possible in part by the City of Culver City and its Cultural Affairs Commission, with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment.
May 2026
ArtsUP! LA and Returning Soldiers Speak are looking to cast their upcoming performance piece, The Letters Project 2.
For the past 6 months, ArtsUP! LA and Returning Soldiers Speak have been collecting, researching, and curating letters and correspondence written by military personnel to members of their family and friends during times of war. The letters and correspondence embody the hopes, fears, and observations of those deployed during wartime from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.
The letters and correspondence will be the inspiration for an original theater performance, performed by professional actors—many of them veterans—and presented in Los Angeles at The Blue Door Theater in 2026. Using the letters and correspondence as inspiration, selected veterans have written original monologues and scenes as part of a performance piece including readings of the letters.
Timeline
Casting: May 11th-16th
In-person Audition: Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 7pm at The Blue Door Theater in Culver City.
Rehearsals: May 18th - June 18th, 2026. Rehearsals will be primarily in the evenings on a flexible schedule at the Blue Door Theater in Culver City.
Performances: June 19th, June 20th, June 21st, June 26th, June 27th, June 28th.
Friday and Saturday shows at 8pm, Sunday matinees at 3pm.
All shows at The Blue Door Theater.
Stipend: There is a Letters Project program stipend of $50/performance
To be considered, please submit your acting bio and resume to: vet@artsupla.org. In the subject line use: Letters Project 2. Veterans strongly encouraged to submit, but not required. Non-equity production.
Roles:
1-older male (50-70s)
4- 20-early 30s males (one African American, one Italian passing)
2- 20-early 30s females (one African American)
2- 40s males