Aim

Three years ago, I found my grandparents' love letters. They changed my life. Now I need your help to share them with the world.

Three years ago, I found hundreds of love letters my grandparents wrote to each other in 1956. I didn’t know it then, but that discovery would become a play and completely change my life.

I had never read my grandmother’s writing before, and I became obsessed. She was remarkable: funny, sharp, and full of ambition. I knew immediately I needed to share her with the world.

Last year, so many of you helped make that happen. We raised nearly £7,000, I performed the show for the first time at the Edinburgh Fringe, and I was later invited to read one of Joan’s letters from Letters to Joan at Letters Live at the Royal Albert Hall. It was a dream come true, and I couldn’t have done any of it without you.

This story still has so many people to reach. I’ve now been given an incredible opportunity to bring the show to Pleasance Courtyard, one of the most renowned venues at Edinburgh Fringe for the 2026 season. The show will be produced by Tony and Olivier winning producer Richard Jordan in association with Pleasance. 

Even though this is a HUGE next step, it comes with even higher costs and I need to raise funds to cover everything. Last year, putting up the show still cost more money than we raised, and this year will be even more expensive. 

The wonderful thing about Fringe is that it mandates that ticket prices are kept low so that theatregoers get a truly unique experience of seeing many shows. Unfortunately, the flip side is that actors and playwrights get exposure, but almost every show loses money.

SO that’s why I need your help, to make this next chapter possible. Bringing the show to this stage requires more resources than ever before, and every bit of support helps carry it forward. If this story resonates with you, or you know someone it might, I would be so grateful if you shared it.

 THE FINANCIAL REALITY

I want to be honest with you. Last year, even with nearly £7,000 raised and a run that exceeded every expectation, the show lost a significant amount of money. 

As the show moves to a more professional scale, the costs for PR, advertising, and overall production rise significantly because doing this properly costs real money. At the same time, housing in Edinburgh during August continues to be obscenely expensive. 

Every pound and dollar raised goes directly into making this production happen. Taking the show to this scale comes with significantly higher costs, and while I am personally funding as much of it as I can, it is not possible to do it alone. It is about giving this story the chance to reach far beyond where it has been so far.

HERE'S WHAT I'M ASKING

£15,000

If this story has moved you, or you know it will move someone else, please consider donating. Whatever you can give makes a real difference.

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, discovers them, uncovering the arc of a love story complicated by depression and a dream left unfinished.

Letters to Joan journeys between a Brooklyn summer alive with possibility and a present-day American diner steeped in nostalgia, where a young woman confronts her own questions of love and ambition. She sits across from the man who once held her grandmother’s heart, wrestling with the choices that shaped two lives.

Inspired by hundreds of real love letters written between the playwright’s grandparents, the play explores the dreams we chase, the ones we abandon, and the unshakable longing of what might have been.

After a sold-out Edinburgh Fringe debut directed by Martavius Parrish and a London run at the Voila! Theatre Festival, the play returns in an elevated iteration, starring Samantha Streit alongside Kevin Cahill as Grandpa. There is no venue more suited than Pleasance Courtyard to carry Letters to Joan forward, giving the piece space to expand and connect deeply with new audiences.

WHAT HAPPENED AT EDINBURGH FRINGE 2025

After nearly every show, people came up to share their own stories. Stories of grandparents, of letters, of loss and love. One woman, whose grandmother had just passed away, told me she was going home to write to her mom. Another spoke about discovering hundreds of her father’s letters from World War II. Sometimes, even strangers stopped me on the street.

It has been overwhelming to witness how deeply this story has resonated. 

"Streit's play does the remarkable, which is to inspire its audiences not only to love louder and live more boldly, but to embrace one's fears and darkness and revel in the ability to miss something or someone."

— Adventures in Theatreland ★★★★★

"Letters to Joan made me homesick. It compelled me to walk the long way home listening to music and feeling existential, then ring my grandparents to chat for hours when I got back."

— The Student ★★★★

Edinburgh Guide  ★★★★  Lost in Theatreland ★★★★

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER EDINBURGH

The show continued its journey in London at the Voilà! Theatre Festival, directed by Jessica Whiley, a Scotsman Fringe First winner. Audiences of all ages stayed behind after performances to share their own stories, write letters, and reflect on their lives.

Soon after, I was invited to read one of Joan’s original letters at Letters Live at the Royal Albert Hall. It was a dream come true.

Now, the show returns to Edinburgh in 2026 at Pleasance Courtyard, produced by Richard Jordan Productions, directed by Jessica Whiley.

Pleasance represents a completely different scale, with larger audiences, greater visibility, and the potential for significant press. A successful run there can open the door to future life in London, New York, and beyond.

This is the moment that could carry Joan’s story further than I ever imagined.

ON LETTERS AND WHY THEY MATTER

There is something about a letter that nothing else quite replicates. The fact that someone sat down, thought only of you, and put it into words. No notifications, no typing bubbles, no delete key. Just a person, their thoughts, and the choice to send them.

My grandparents both did that. They wrote to each other across a single year, building a relationship line by line. Joan wrote with such honesty and ambition, and my grandfather kept every single letter. That is why they still exist. That is why I found them.

At its heart, this show is an invitation. To reach out. To say the thing. To not assume there will always be more time.

I think that is why it resonates. Because somewhere, all of us know there is a letter we have not written yet.

WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE

Any amount:

A handwritten letter from me. A real letter, written by hand, sent to you. It feels like the only right thing to do.

Higher tiers:

More to come, I'm working on additional rewards and other ways to bring you closer to the story. Details coming soon.

— Sam x

Joan had incredible, exceptional talent. She was an amazing writer who broke barriers in her undergraduate life, being the first woman to edit the yearbook and the author of multiple plays and was asked to be the first female writer of the Howdy Doodie Show, even though she didn’t accept. After graduation, she was an editor at Publisher’s Weekly and continued to write throughout her life including poems to me as a young girl. Letters to Joan is a love story and a love letter back to my grandparents based on a true story. 

Written by Samantha Streit

and performed by Samantha Streit and Kevin Cahill.

Based on hundreds of real love letters, written in 1956.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 16th July 2026 at 10:21pm