Letters to Joan
Premiering at Edinburgh Fringe 2025
A conversation across time: the dreams we chase, the ones we abandon, and the unshakable longing for the life that might have been
A granddaughter finds her grandmother’s 1956 love letters, uncovering a lost dream and a story of love, grief, and the choices that shape us. A true story unfolding between a Brooklyn summer and a present-day diner, where past and present blur.
About The Play
In 1956 Brooklyn, an aspiring playwright falls in love, her letters brimming with desire and ambition. Decades later, her granddaughter, a writer herself, uncovers them—tracing the arc of a love story cut short and a dream left unfinished. Between a Brooklyn summer alive with possibility and a present-day American diner steeped in nostalgia, past and present blur.
She sits across from the man who once held her grandmother’s heart, wrestling with the choices that shaped two lives. Letters to Joan is a true story that explores the dreams we chase, the ones we abandon, and the unshakable longing for the life that might have been.
"All of us at one time or another get tangled in tall tales"
The Story Behind the Play
1956
2001
1957
Two years ago, I stumbled upon hundreds of love letters my grandparents wrote when they first met. Both passed away before I was eleven, and though I have memories of them, I never truly knew them. But in reading their words, I felt as if I was meeting them for the first time.That discovery became Letters to Joan, premiering this summer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival—the largest arts festival in the world.
Bringing Letters to Joan to Life
A Dream Fulfilled
My grandmother, I discovered, once dreamed of being a playwright.
She studied playwriting at Columbia University, in New York City, just a block from where I later found myself writing at The Hungarian Pastry Shop, eating the same cheese danishes, staring at my own pages. But life took her in a different direction, and she never pursued that dream.
Now, as I prepare to bring my first play to Edinburgh, it feels like I am not only realizing my dream, but hers as well.
Upcoming shows
EDINBURGH FRINGE
Greenside @ George Street's Mint Studio
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Dates: August 1–23 (except 10th, 17th)
Time: 19:45 – 20:45
Venue: Greenside @ George Street’s Mint Studio
Fundraising Events
Letters to Joan is just the beginning. As we journey to the Edinburgh Fringe, we want you to be part of the story. Join us for upcoming events and experiences where the past and present will collide in ways you won’t expect.
Letter Writing Workshop
Dates: Sunday May 11th
Join us for an immersive experience where we write, share, and explore the power of letters. Inspired by the play, we'll dive deep into storytelling and uncover the magic of handwritten words.
Letters Live
Date: Friday May 16th
A gathering to celebrate the lost art of letter writing. Some beautiful humans will read letters they’ve written, found, or received—honest, tender, funny, true. Come to listen, connect, and be part of something simple and full of heart.
Live Readings & Workshops Leading Up to Fringe.
Stay tune for readings, audio tours and more events
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Join the Journey, Keep Writing, and Stay Connected to the Heart of the Story.
The team
Samantha Streit
WRITER/ACTOR : LONDON
Sam, Joan
Hi! I’m Sam—a New Yorker living in London, and the writer, actor, and producer behind Letters to Joan. You’ll often find me writing in coffee shops—The Hungarian Pastry Shop in New York, Pophams in London—or running through a city to clear my head. My work explores themes of memory, vulnerability, and reflection, creating space for audiences to slow down, reconnect, and feel deeply.
I have a BA in Theatre Studies from Duke University, where I starred in everything from Shakespeare to new works by Claudia Rankine and premiered my own one-woman show. I’ve trained at RADA, The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, Atlantic Theater Company, Northwestern’s Cherubs, Stella Adler, and The Barrow Group. I was honored with the university’s Outstanding Actor award.
My one-woman show, This Green Plot Shall Be Our Stage, began as a participatory audio tour through gardens, inviting audiences into rituals of reflection before culminating in a live Shakespeare performance. I’ve continued that journey with mindfulness-guided audio tours in New York, and now, after two years of writing, I’m excited to bring Letters to Joan, inspired by my grandmother’s 1956 love letters, to the stage this summer at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Kevin Cahill
ACTOR : OREGON
Grandfather, Len
One of the most extraordinary moments in this journey happened when I met Kevin Cahill while performing in a Shakespeare festival in Oregon. My grandfather was a high school history teacher, and Kevin was a retired high school English teacher himself.
We bonded over poetry, literature, and hikes through the mountains, and on the last day, he handed me a letter. In it, he wrote that our conversations had been "edifying" and included the works of a poet he once met who had moved him deeply. The words resonated in a way I couldn’t explain, and I knew then that Kevin had to play my grandfather.
Martavius Parrish
Director
Martavius Parrish is a New York–based director and multifaceted theatre artist whose work radiates empathy, curiosity, and joy. A graduate of both Duke University and NYU Steinhardt, Parrish is a mentee of visionary director Lear deBessonet and has contributed to acclaimed productions including Into the Woods and Once Upon a Mattress on Broadway. Lear and Martavius are now working together to build the next chapter of Lincoln Center Theater.
Though we didn’t know each other during our time at Duke, Parrish and I connected through our shared alma mater and quickly discovered a mutual belief in theatre as a space for rigorous inquiry, emotional truth, and deep human connection. Our collaboration began with SMJ’s Untitled Raccoon Play and continues in Letters to Joan, where Parrish brings his soulful, intuitive vision and joyful, heart-led approach to storytelling.
Why This Show Matters
For everyone who has ever felt lost, or been in love, or chased big crazy dreams, I want to bring that to life for you through this play—but also through shared experiences. This project isn’t about profit; it’s about honoring two people who shaped me and creating a space for anyone who has ever wondered if they’ll be remembered, if their words will last.
As my grandmother once wrote:
“Lenny, something very wonderful happened to me when I met you, something I’ve been waiting for 23 years of my life and selfish soul that I am, I have no intention of giving it up so easily.”
I feel that same way about this play. It is a piece of my soul, and I am determined to see it come to life.
get in contact
Submit your Letter
If you could write a letter to anyone—who would it be?
A grandparent long gone. A friend you lost touch with. The person you used to be. Or someone you’ve yet to meet. Maybe it’s a letter you once received—tucked in a drawer, still lingering in your chest.
Letters are a lost art form. They hold magic. They remember for us. Write yours. Share it anonymously—or not. Some may appear on our social media or whispered into the world at future events
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