Letters Live at WOW | Amazing Correspondence Read By Amazing Speakers
Some names contain more letters than others.
‘Post Office’, for instance.
And ‘Letters Live’ too, the theatrical realisation of the famous books Letters of Note (the bestselling anthology compiled by Shaun Usher) and To The Letter by Simon Garfield, in which famous people stand up on stage, and recite famous letters from history’s more notable luminaries.
And next month, Letter Live is going to hold a special, one-off event at the Women of the World (WOW) festival on the Southbank, in which a lineup of speakers will read correspondence either written by or to famous women.
We can’t say precisely who’ll be doing the reading, or what it is they will be reading, but that’s all part of the joy of Letters Live: it’s all a complete mystery until the night itself. But we can tell you about a few previous speakers, including Olivia Colman, Kylie Minogue, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Gillian Anderson.
And we can tell you about a few of the letters that’ve been read out in previous years, including Virginia Woolf’s heart-breaking suicide note; the recipe for drop scones sent by Queen Elizabeth II to President Eisenhower; and Richard Burton’s parting words to Elizabeth Taylor at the end of their tempestuous marriage. So in short…
…they’re pretty much all first-class.
NOTE: Letters Live at Women of the World Festival takes place on 8th of March at 8pm. Tickets cost £18 – £50, and are available right HERE.
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX
Like listening and learning? Take a look at our guide to the best lectures and talks in London here.