A collaborative trend is emerging in the local Maryland live theater community, and The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre is fully engaged.
In the spirit of lifting all boats, The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre has performances in March and May it hopes will be the start of an ongoing effort to foster greater artistic collaboration between local theater groups.
On March 14, the theater joins forces with In the Dark Circus Arts for “Night Circus”, a one-night-only blend of cirque performance, mind-reading, and magic, with a twist of Poe, of course. The evening will begin and end with cirque, and in between, audience members will be treated to The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre’s above-average mind reader, Alexander the Pretty Good. Naturally, there will also be some POEtry reading to complete the circus-and-magic sandwich.
On May 14, Poe Theatre’s artistic director, Alex Zavistovich will be at Everyman Theatre during the Bromo Art Walk for “Thinking of Emma”–a reading from Jane Austen’s “Emma”. Everyman Theatre is bringing a Kate Hamill adaptation of the novel to the stage later that month, opening May 17. Zavistovich will read an excerpt from “Emma”, along with poetry by Poe.
“As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats,” Zavistovich said. “With grants dwindling and audiences’ attention divided among many different types of entertainment, theaters need to work together more often, to boost awareness of each other’s work and to share the hard work of production. We’re happy to do whatever we can to support the excellent stage entertainment abounding in Baltimore.”
“Night Circus” is Poe Theatre’s first collaboration with In the Dark Circus Arts, and the second is planned for May, when In the Dark Circus Arts will host Poe theatre’s Doomsday 2026 Edgar Allan Poe Readaton. In the Dark Circus Arts is located in Pigtown, where it teaches and performs “cirque-style” theatrical feats, like aerial fabrics, the Cyr wheel, trapeze, and more. They are also bookending an hour-long Poe-themed mind-reading show by Poe Theatre’s Alexander the Pretty Good.
The Bromo Art Walk on May 14 is Poe Theatre’s second collaboration with Everyman Theatre. Last year the two groups created coupon codes to cross-market their overlapping productions, “A Christmas Carol for Edgar Allan Poe” and “Deceived”.
“Our audiences don’t necessarily know each other’s work, and it’s long past time to do more about that,” Zavistovich said. “We’re not competing with each other; we’re broadening awareness of the wealth of unique theatrical experiences available to Baltimore patrons of the arts. That can only be good for the entire community.”
