While the two characters in A.R. Gurney’s "Love Letters" may only connect through the epistles shared on stage, the actors in a new Twin Cities production have a much closer relationship.

Husband and wife Bruce and Sharon Rowan take the stage this week in a ShoeString Players production of Gurney’s Pulitzer-nominated play. The casting is "an artistic dream," says director and ShoeString President Karen Jensen. "They are true professionals when it comes to their work on the stage."

For Jensen, producing Gurney’s work was a natural. "A.R. Gurney is one of my favorite playwrights. The very first ShoeString production was "What I Did Last Summer," and I directed that project. There is something about the way that Gurney writes that is unique and very real. He has the ability to capture the humor in life as well leading the audience to wherever he chooses them to go."

In "Love Letters," the two actors share the stage and read the shared -- and not shared -- experiences of the two characters. Having a married couple at the center could only deepen the play’s impact, Jensen says.

"I think the audience will gain an insight into the importance of loving," Jensen says. "I don’t know who said this, but I believe this is the bottom line: 'It is not important who you love but that you love.' "

"Love Letters."  April 3-5 and 10-11 at the Jaycee Studio of the Hopkins Center for the Arts, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins. For tickets and information, call 952-979-1111.