“Murder by Poe" at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre -- August 7 through 16.
Friday, August 7, through Sunday, August 16
Playcrafters Barn Theatre, 4950 35th Avenue, Moline IL
A creepy and beguiling stage piece drawn from author Edgar Allan Poe’s most chilling works, playwright Jeffrey Hatcher's Murder by Poe makes its debut at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre from August 7 through 16, this theatrical treat hailed by the New York Times as an "eerie delight ... as if the theatre were a laboratory and we were students watching humans turn themselves into experiments."
In Murder by Poe, a mysterious woman seeks refuge in a shadowy house, where she encounters strangers with haunting tales to tell. Each story is drawn from Poe’s most chilling works, among them the classics "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Black Cat," and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." As the stories are recounted, they intertwine into a tapestry of suspense and mystery, the eerie atmosphere and clever storytelling making for a thrilling yet family-appropriate evening.
As the New York Times stated, "Edgar Allan Poe's tales are a fusion of the gothic and the analytic. As D. H. Lawrence wrote, the stories charted ''an almost chemical analysis of the soul and consciousness.' Poe wanted to make the reader and the writer co-conspirators in this. But theater must implicate entire audiences, making them feel the power of myth and share the burden of obsessions and conventions. The playwright Jeffrey Hatcher guides us into the House of Poe, a dark space with as many rooms as there are tales. Doors and cabinets open to reveal corpses, weapons, and every detail of the crime scene."
Making her Playcrafters directing debut with Murder by Poe is Pam Cantrell, a veteran actor of the Barn Theatre who previously appeared in such productions as Girls' Weekend, Life Sucks, and, as Aunt March, Little Women. Jacque Cohoon serves as the thriller's producer, poster designer, and, alongside Cantrell, costume designer, and additional members of the Murder by Poe creative team include: stage manager Emma Terronez; sound designer Gabe Thompson; dialect coach Suzanne Braswell; lighting designer Ellie Gradert; props master and set builder Rich Kobre; and board operators Juniper Eberhardt and David Lee Perkins.
A full dozen local acting talents, meanwhile, compose the Murder by Poe ensemble: Drew DeKeyrel; Chloe Hansen; Paul Hansen; Jonna Hicks-Bird; Alicia Leonard; Esteban Lopez; Tabitha Oles; Jazmin Roberts; Julia Sears; Gabe Thompson; Kyle Taylor; and Elle Winchester.
Murder by Moe runs at Moline's Barn Theatre August 7 through 16, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Admission is $16-18, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-0330 and visiting Playcrafters.com.
