The third annual San Diego PoeFest, will be held this year online, streaming Oct. 23 to Nov. 1. PoeFest is produced by Write Out Loud in partnership with Save Our Heritage Organization.
“PoeFest has quickly become a San Diego favorite Halloween adventure. Everybody loves the wonderfully chilling stories of Poe. And there are so many authors to explore that have followed in his footsteps,” said PoeFest artistic director Veronica Murphy. “Virtual is our only option for storytelling now, so we are embracing the challenge of capturing a phantasmic theatrical experience on video. We’ve recreated the atmosphere, filming by candlelight in the Historic Adobe Chapel in Old Town.”
Poe’s poetry, as well as other literature inspired by him, will be performed by local actors Brittney Caldwell, Manny Fernandes, Linda Libby, Brian Mackey, Paul Maley, Sandra Ruiz, Rachael VanWormer, and featuring Travis Rhett Wilson as Edgar Allan Poe.
The actors will present six episodes of fully-staged, theatrical performances of short stories of the macabre, including “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “La Llorona” and more.
Audience members can choose to see just one video program (or more) – or become a VIP and have access to all six videos, plus an exclusive livestream event for opening night. Access to video performances is restricted to the dates of the festival, but viewers can choose the dates and times to watch – they can binge watch all on Halloween or see a performance every day for a week to keep all the days spooky.
Programs include:
- An Evening with Mr. Poe and “The Masque of the Red Death”
Featuring Travis Rhett Wilson as Edgar Allan Poe
- Maligned Mothers
“The Bells” by E A. Poe
“To My Mother” by E.A. Poe
“La Llorona” – a Latin American Folktale (bilingual)
“Mama Gone” by Jane Yolen
- Guilty – Pleasure?
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by E.A. Poe
“Sonnet––to Science” by E.A. Poe
“The Statement of Randolph Carter” by H.P. Lovecraft
- Shades of Poe
“The Raven” by E.A. Poe
“Why The Little Frenchman Wears His Hand in a Sling” by E.A. Poe
“Fairy-Land” by E.A. Poe
- Voodoo
“The Conqueror Worm” by E.A. Poe
“Boogah Man” & “The Haunted Oak” by Paul Laurence Dunbar
“The Lips” by Henry S. Whitehead
- The Yellow Wallpaper
“A Dream Within a Dream” by E.A. Poe
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Individual programs are $13 each, VIP Festival Pass is $50. VIP Festival Pass includes access to all six programs and exclusive live-streamed Opening Night Event. Tickets may be purchased online at writeoutloud.ticketspice.com/poefest or by calling 619-297-8953
