Reaching beyond the theatre: Shuddersome: Tales of Poe

Looking for a great competition piece or cross-curricular play? Shuddersome: Tales of Poe by Lindsay Price is a vivid and theatrical adaptation of some of Poe’s best known works, complete with multi length versions to fit every performance need.

The thumping of a heartbeat. The creek of a door. The howl of a bitter wind. The gong of a clock tower. The clang of alarm bells. The sound of beating wings getting closer and closer…

Specters, ghosts and ghouls come alive in this vivid theatrical adaptation of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s best-known works. Included are The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death.

Poe’s words rise from the page like corpses from the grave. Be careful. Do you hear that tap, tap, tapping?

Under the direction of Todd Espeland , the extremely talented performers at Fort Wayne Youtheatre in Fort Wayne, Indiana were able to take the material in Shuddersome: Tales of Poe and allow it to reach not only their audience, but also their community and even themselves:

This show has been very well received by both our actors and audiences. Previous to doing Shuddersome our free Storybook Tours have been original scripts and fairy tale based shows. Our youth performers have responded to this script in a HUGE way. They love the challenge of it. They love the drama of it. They LOVE the creativity that is called upon by the actors to make this show work.

Our audiences have doubled this tour and I think it is a direct result of this script. They are interested in the title and subject matter and our Youth performers have been inviting more and more people outside of their immediate family to the shows.

One of our performances was for a youth mental health facility. The show was done for youth who are receiving mental health counseling. We were initially hesitant about doing this show for them due to the overall subject matter and the specific subject matter of Tell Tale Heart. The doctors insisted it was okay. We performed the show for 16 youth who volunteered to see the show (the youth in this facility sign up to see things that interest them). They responded to the show very well. After the performance their counselor said that the show and its subject matter was going to be part of their evening group session. That was awesome. It’s awesome to know that we are reaching youth all over Fort Wayne with this subject matter.

Way to go, Fort Wayne Youtheatre!