Letters Live

The joy and the pain, the wisdom and the humour preserved by the humble letter – expertly brought to life by some of the most acclaimed performers from around the world. Letters Live has been moving audiences to both laughter and tears since 2013, in a live celebration of the enduring power of written correspondence. It is a performance phenomenon, making its International Festival debut following sell-out runs in London, and inspired by Shaun Usher’s best-selling Letters of Note, and by Simon Garfield’s To the Letter. Each show features a range of performers, giving live readings of letters from across the centuries and all around the globe, all in front of a live audience. Who’ll be performing and what letter they’ll be bringing alive remain closely guarded secrets until the curtain goes up.

Who is going to take to the stage or what letters they are going to bring to life is kept under wraps until the day, but previous shows have seen stars such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Ian McKellen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kylie Minogue, Russell Brand, Caitlin Moran, Tom Hiddleston, Cynthia Erivo, Sally Hawkins, Stephen Fry, Zawe Ashton, Jude Law, Olivia Colman, Noma Dumezweni, Colin Firth, Jeremy Corbyn, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker and Sir Ben Kingsley deliver unique and extraordinary performances.