Master Of Macabre: Original Play Takes a Unique Twist on Edgar Allen Poe’s Work to the Stage
Two Griffins Theatre troupe explores mortality and madness in a chilling upcoming performance
Rebecca Mennecke, photos by Andrea Paulseth |
If you ask the actors of Two Griffins Theatre troupe which part they will perform in the upcoming debut of their original play Poe, one by one they will respond: Edgar Allen Poe, Edgar Allen Poe, Edgar Allen Poe – and it won’t take long before you figure out that they’re all Edgar Allen Poe.
James and Chris Finn’s latest performance takes the eerie works of world-renowned writer Edgar Allen Poe and blends them together, creating what they describe as “a fever dream with Poe’s greatest hits mashed up.”
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There's something about drawing from those dark type of writings. It lends itself very well to the atmosphere we like to create – making people think and feel a certain way. ... You feel the darkness. And you hear something in the darkness. And that's the type of tone we like to create.
“We love doing Halloween shows,” Chris Finn said. “There’s something about drawing from those dark type of writings. It lends itself very well to the atmosphere we like to create – making people think and feel a certain way ... (not to mention) the visceral environment of theater, where you have real people doing real things right in front of you. And you feel the darkness. And you hear something in the darkness. And that’s the type of tone we like to create.”
The performance explores themes of mortality and madness, aiming to make the audience feel more than a little unnerved.
“This will be the first time people get to see my actual face and not be scared of it,” said Josh Hammez-Murray, who has starred in every one of Two Griffins Theatre troupe’s performances, then added – jokingly, “Well, no.”
The greatest thing about this performance is that it is still unfinished. “The script is basically just a template, and from there we take it down every possible avenue we can,” James Finn said.
But what the performers can promise? A theatrical production that intertwines Poe’s central themes to create an experience that is dark and mysterious – a performance that is simply chilling.
Poe is set to hit The Grand Theatre stage on Oct. 21, 22, and 23. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for students. For more information, visit facebook.com/TwoGriffinsTheatre.
