GREENEVILLE – Guests can enjoy the Halloween season with another delightful rendition of “Edgar Allan Poe and Other Haunted Stories in the Woods” on the grounds of the Doak House Museum at Tusculum University.
This annual production returns with performances Friday, Oct. 24, and Saturday, Oct. 25, at 6:30 p.m. Talented actors will perform five plays five times, enabling visitors to see each one throughout the evening. Each play will last about 10 minutes.
During the breaks between each performance, individuals will recite some of Poe’s poems by one of the two campfires and then remain in character as they escort guests to the next performance. Those who attend will also have the opportunity to purchase concessions from Tusculum students representing different clubs.
“We love to host this event every year and see our friends from the community having a great time in this gorgeous setting,” said Steve Schultz, director of Tusculum Arts Outreach. “This production fits the season perfectly and provides high-quality entertainment for our audiences. We encourage everyone to join us for a relaxing and fun evening presented by our outstanding theater program.”
Here are the plays for this year:
- “The Fall of the House of Usher,” written by Poe and directed by Shelly Skelly-Ramos
- “The Still of Amontillado,” a retooling of “The Cask of Amontillado,” written by Skelly-Ramos and directed by Dodger Kirkland
- “A Canine Tale,” written by Rebecca Edmisten and directed by Peyton Bergquist
- “Mr. Knock,” written by Sam Schultz and directed by Andy Ross
- “The Lady of the Lillies,” written by Sam McCamey and directed by Gracie Moore
Two of the plays will be held inside the Doak House and the nearby academy building, and the rest will be held outdoors. This year, organizers will have a new location for one of the plays – a picnic area across the bridge over College Creek at the start of the Tusculum Nature Trail.
“I wanted to bring more of Poe’s stories to life,” Skelly-Ramos said. “That’s why I wanted to direct ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ – so I could stay true to Poe’s original content. I wrote ‘The Still of Amontillado’ so we could still have another Poe story present, ‘The Cask of Amontillado,’ but this time in a more familiar setting like the Appalachian Mountains. It’s my tribute to Poe.”
Skelly-Ramos enjoys all that “Edgar Allan Poe and Other Haunted Stories in the Woods” presents.
“I love that it’s a fun fall community event that brings out a lot of people,” she said. “It gets local storytellers involved with a storytelling process, and it gets the community involved in the storytelling process.”
The rain date “Edgar Allan Poe and Other Haunted Stories in the Woods” is Sunday, Oct. 26.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at https://www.onthestage.tickets/tusculum-university. Proceeds will go to support the Tusculum Young Actors Studio, a program Arts Outreach conducts to enhance literacy and communication skills among youth by integrating theatrical practices into education. More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.
