A new ballet that tells the story of Edgar Allan Poe will come to the Hippodrome Theatre for one night only on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 5 p.m.
Chicago-based Ballet 5:8 will bring Poe’s story to Baltimore with “The Curious Life of Edgar Allan Poe,” which debuted at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in April 2026 in Chicago.
“There is something deeply meaningful about bringing this work to Baltimore,” said Julianna Rubio Slager, artistic director of Ballet 5:8 and co-choreographer of the production. “I created this ballet to look beyond the familiar Gothic image of Poe and to resurface the man beneath the legends. To perform it at the Hippodrome, just blocks from where he is buried, feels like bringing the work home.”
The 90-minute ballet uses Poe’s best-known work as framework, with scenes inspired by “The Raven,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “Annabel Lee,” and “The Masque of the Red Death” dramatizing events of Poe’s own life.
Slager choreographed with Glorielle Niedfeldt, combining neo-classical ballet, African Diaspora movement traditions, spoken word, music, and immersive theatrical imagery. The production is more than a retelling of Poe’s stories; it is an inquiry into what kind of man Poe was.
“The conception of the ballet was stunning,” said Dr. Harry Lee Poe, Poe scholar and living relative of the writer. “There aren’t words to convey how it was able to capture the life of Poe and present it with dance. It was marvelous.”
Chris Semtner, curator of the Poe Museum in Richmond, was similarly moved by the production, calling it a “brilliant performance”.
“It captured the melancholy feeling of Poe,” Semtner said. “A beautiful sort of sorrow with a tinge of mystery.”
The Baltimore premiere of “The Curious Life of Edgar Allan Poe” is part of the eighth annual International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards, presented by Poe Baltimore. The free outdoor festival runs from Oct. 2–4 and includes Poe-themed performances, exhibits, vendors, books, food, tours, and the POErade costume contest. There are also ticketed events during the festival, the proceeds of which support the preservation and expansion of the Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum.
Tickets for “The Curious Life of Edgar Allan Poe” are available online at the Hippodrome Theatre’s website and at Ticketmaster. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Hippodrome Box Office on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on show day from 11 a.m. to curtain. The Hippodrome Theatre is located at 12 North Eutaw St., Baltimore, MD.
