Matt Letscher wrote his latest play from the heart.
“Bert & Trixie Visit the Vet,” a world premiere comedy written by Letscher, is now playing at The Purple Rose and is the popular theatre’s final production of their 34th season. It’s the story of four animals looking to make a vet break and explores the special relationship between humans and their pets.
Letscher knows all about that relationship.
“The whole play sprung from having to put down our dog, and we’ve done that before,” he said. “But I’m always surprised at how deeply emotional that is. For me, and I think most people would agree with this, to have to euthanize a pet is always heartbreaking. I always have this thought, like, why am I so deeply upset? It’s really profound. And I always wonder what that connection is all about.”
A comedy about what it means to truly be free, “Bert & Trixie Visit the Vet” is the story of four pets in a veterinarian’s waiting room who plan an escape when they suspect one of them is in danger.
“They begin to put together that one of them may have been brought in to be euthanized so they come up with a plan to break out of the vet’s office to live their lives out in the free world,” Letscher said. “I started thinking if our places were reversed would they say and do the same things that we do. So, yeah, that’s where it started. I was trying to find a way into this subject matter that wasn’t depressing so that was by making it a comedy.”
And it’s not surprising that the cat is the ringleader of the escape plan.
“This cat was a wildcat for his entire life, and he just kind of likes stirring things up,” says Letscher. “He’s the one that gets this plan going, and we don’t know if he’s gonna follow them out into the world or not. He’s kind of old. But he’s causing all the trouble.”
Letscher says “Bert & Trixie Visit the Vet” is a play that exists on two levels “and sort of a middle level, too.”
“There are humans in the play who have their own problems and their own story, and there are pets in the play who have their problems and story,” he says. “And then there’s that kind of, you know, liminal space between pets and people where they have this connection. But they aren’t really able to understand why or how they have this connection. And that’s the thing that I was kind of interested in exploring.”
A Michigan native and proud Wolverine, Letscher began writing for PRTC in 2006 with his Red Scare farce, “Sea of Fools.” An award-winning playwright and actor, his play “Demolition” garnered the 2025 StageRaw Award for Best Playwriting after an extended run in LA and “Gaps in the Fossil Record” received the 2015 Edgerton Foundation’s New Play Award for its production at the Purple Rose.
As an actor, Letscher has appeared on Broadway and regionally in the world premieres of plays by Neil Simon, Howard Korder, Julia Cho, Jeff Daniels, Kate Robin, Beth Henley and Lanford Wilson. Film credits include Michael Bay’s “13 Hours,” Spike Jonze’s “Her,” Martin Campbell’s “The Mask of Zorro” and the upcoming indie, “Shattered Ice.”
TV credits include series regular and recurring roles on “Narcos: Mexico,” “The Alienist,” “The Flash,” “Legends of Tomorrow,” “Scandal” and the recent spinoffs “Suits: LA” and “Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage.”
“I really trust the great and creative people at The Purple Rose,” Letscher said. “And Rhiannon Ragland, the director, has great taste, and Jeff (Daniels) was on top of everything too so I was really confident that they would come up with a great cast, and they did.”
The cast features Mark Colson* (Detroit), Jamie Elvey* (Okemos), Maria Ru-djen* (Royal Oak), John Seibert* (Ann Arbor), Meghan VanArsdalen* (Ann Arbor), Jonathan West* (Belleville). Set Design by Sarah Pearline, Properties Design by Danna Segrest, Costume Design by Shelby Newport, Lighting Design by Noele Stollmack, Sound Design by Brad Phillips. Stefanie Din* is the Stage Manager and Mary Toth* and Jennifer Lowe* are the Assistant Stage Managers.
*Denotes members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
Performance Schedule
Performances of “Bert & Trixie Visit the Vet” at The Purple Rose run from Friday, June 20 through Sunday, August 31, 2025. Previews, with reduced-price tickets, are available through Thursday, June 26, with talkbacks June 20-25. The press opening is Friday, June 27 at 8:00pm.
Special Events and Partnerships
On July 3, 10, & 24 and August 7, 14, & 28 at 4:30-6:30pm, there will be adoption events located at the Purple Rose in partnership with Cascades Humane Society. Animals available for adoption will be on site at the theatre.
On the Saturday evening performance of August 2nd, there will be a “30s & 40s Meetup Night,” a mixer with discounted tickets for anyone age 30-49 to make new friends with a cocktail hour and food truck at Ugly Dog Distillery (Chelsea, MI), followed by the performance. Those interested can call the Box Office at (734) 433-7673 to reserve a ticket.
For more information about these special events, email caitlin@purplerosetheatre.org.
Ticket Information
Performances are Wednesday – Sunday at The Purple Rose Theatre Company, 137 Park Street, Chelsea, Michigan 48118. The performance calendar can be found HERE.
Ticket prices start at $30 with special discounts for seniors, patrons 30 years or younger, members of the military, teachers, and groups (12+).
For more information or to make reservations call (734) 433-7673 or go to www.purplerosetheatre.org.
