Bare Productions will present AR Gurney’s Love Letters at Kevin Sobels Wines, Pokolbin on February 10 and 17, and Wollombi’s Harp of Erin Theatre on Valentine’s Day itself (February 14).

It will see the return of live theatre to the Pokolbin winery for the first time since Hunter Valley Summer Theatre’s six sensational shows there in late 2016.

Love Letters will star local actors Alan Glover and Kath Perry, under the direction of Annette Rowlison (who production-managed the Hunter Valley Summer Theatre shows in 2016).

The play is described as an evocative, heart-warming and touching story as the two characters deliver funny and moving excerpts from the notes and letters they sent each other over their devoted but often distant lives.

Andrew (Glover) and Melissa (Perry) are childhood friends whose love story begins with birthday party thank-you notes and summer camp postcards.

Romantically attached, but unable to understand their true feelings, they live apart but continue to stay in touch throughout their grown-up years.

The play simply involves a table, two chairs and two actors reading from scripts on a bare stage – and the emotionally-rich, deceptively simple script conveys the characters’ longing, love and regret of the time and distance between them.

The Pulitzer Prize-nominated drama has been performed by many big names since its debut in 1988, including Julie Harris, Christopher Reeve, Elizabeth Taylor, James Earl Jones, Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal.

As texts, tweets and superficial social-media take over modern lives, and letter writing has become a quaint relic of time gone by, Love Letters takes the audience through added resonance and romance.

Tickets for the shows at Kevin Sobels Wines are $30 including a glass of wine, and can be booked via the winery on 4998 7766 or at the door on the night, with the show underway at 7pm.

The Wollombi performance includes a pre-show dinner at 6.30pm, with tickets $60. Bookings are essential on 4998 3230.

Tickets and more information can also be requested by emailing bareproductions2018@gmail.com.