Andie MacDowell to Star in UNCA Valentine’s Day
Production of "Love Letters"

Actress Andie MacDowell will star in UNCA’s production of "Love Letters" on Monday, Feb. 14, at Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place in Asheville. The one-night-only performance will benefit UNCA’s drama department. The show marks the first local performance by MacDowell since she moved to Western North Carolina. Scott Walters, drama department chair, will co-star. Curtain is 8 p.m.

"Obviously, we are thrilled to have such a talented actress starring in this production," Walters said. "Working with Andie MacDowell is something my students will never forget, nor will any of us."

MacDowell, perhaps best known for her work in the films "Groundhog Day," "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Green Card," suggested the performance after touring UNCA’s drama department with Walters last year.

MacDowell first received wide acclaim, including the Los Angeles Critics’ Best Actress Award and a Golden Globe nomination, for her performance as a repressed young wife in Steven Soderbergh’s "sex, lies and videotape," a film that won the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1989.

Walters, who joined UNCA as drama department chair in 1998, is well-known at UNCA and in Illinois for his directorial successes ranging from Theatre UNCA’s "The Place of the Great Turtle’s Back" to "Barefoot in the Park" and "The Good Doctor."

"Love Letters," is a romantic comedy by well-known playwright A.R. Gurney built around letters exchanged over a lifetime by two people who grew up together, went their separate ways, but continued to care deeply about each other. MacDowell will portray the high-spirited Melissa Gardner, whose flamboyance and outrageous antics cover up her loneliness and need for love. Walters performs Andrew Makepeace Ladd III, who is attracted to her extravagance as a contrast to his own cautious moderations. Their letters are witty, charming and touching.

Following the performance, MacDowell and Walters will greet patrons in the Colburn Gem and Mineral Museum.

The $100 patron tickets, which include special seating at the performance, parking and the reception, may be purchased by calling UNCA’s Development Office at 828/251-6080. The $25 general admission tickets are available at Diana Wortham Theatre Ticket Office, 828/257-4530.

Media Contacts:

• Dr. Scott Walters, UNCA Drama Department Chair, 828/251-6650 or
  e-mail: swalters@unca.edu
• UNCA Public Information, 828/251-6526