Poe Theatre on the Air

In this episode of Poe Theatre on the Air, we’re doing something a bit different – a reading of Chapter One of the book “Emma,“ by Jane Austen. It’s fitting that we take this little side trip. You might be surprised to learn that Baltimore has among the largest Jane Austen appreciation societies in this hemisphere. The two writers each famously satirized society, and Austen even gently poked fun a...

This episode of Poe Theatre on the Air presents one Poe’s comedic stories, “Some Words with a Mummy,” sponsored in part by a generous donation from Kurt Gustafson and family. The story recounts a conversation with a mummy revived in modern times, and how modern accomplishments don’t exactly measure up against the achievements of ancient Egyptians. “Some Words with a Mummy” was written by Kris Faat...

This special Valentine’s Day installment of Poe Theatre on the Air features Valentine’s Day and love poems from Poe — and a lesser known poem to Poe from his wife. We begin with a real treat. British actor and presenter Helen Atkinson Wood is back. Famous for originating the role of Mrs. Miggins on BBC’s Black Adder, Ms. Wood can be heard on previous episodes of Poe Theatre on the Air reciting “Th...

Written by Jade Greene and performed and recorded live at the Poe Room of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, “The Spectacles” is one of Poe’s comedies (yes, he wrote comedies!). In this story, a vain young man changes his name to try to inherit a fortune from a distant relative. He falls in love with a seemingly beautiful woman at the opera, but because he refuses to wear his glasses, he gets mixed up...

In this story, the physically disabled “Hop-Frog,” a victim of a war, is made to work for a cruel and brutish dictator. Together with his tiny love Tripetta, Hop-Frog sets the stage for a comeuppance for the king.

Set during the Spanish Inquisition, this intense and pulse-pounding radio drama tells the story of an unnamed prisoner forced to choose between several lethal options when sentenced to death. Written by TJ Perkins and produced by John Walker, featuring the voice of Alex Zavistovich. Sponsored in part by the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, Creative Baltimore Fund, and RavenBeer.

Three years ago, The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre was invited to take part in a project called “The Media of Mediumship,” with the University of Stirling in Scotland and the University of East Anglia in England. Poe Theatre’s Artistic Director Alex Zavistovich performed in and co-produced a three-part radio drama series written by UEA Professor Richard J. Hand, based on fiction held in the Har...

Hear the third and final story in Edgar Allan Poe’s Auguste Dupin trilogy of mysteries! Dupin and his assistant help the Paris police find a stolen letter, which is being used for blackmail at the highest levels of French government. The Purloined Letter script was written and directed by Alex Zavistovich. Music and sound effects by James D. Watson, featuring the voices of Adam R. Adkins, Bri Cael...

This Halloween special edition of Poe Theatre on the Air features two readings of the works of Edgar Allan Poe: “The Masque of the Red Death” and “Shadow (a Parable).” Published in 1842, “The Masque of the Red Death” has been adapted numerous times, most notably by Roger Corman in a 1964 film starring Vincent Price. “Shadow (a Parable)” was written by Poe during his time in Baltimore and published...

The second of Poe’s Auguste Dupin detective stories, “The Mystery of Marie Roget” follows Dupin and his biographer as they unravel the case of a missing perfume worker, found dead in the river. Written by James Comtois, and directed by Alex Zavistovich. Music and sound effects by James D. Watson, featuring the voices of Adam R. Adkins, David Hanauer, Jimi Kinstle, Melanie Kurstin, Jennifer Restak,...

Last year The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre was invited by The Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival to adapt for the stage an early and little-known story by Williams, “The Eye That Saw Death.” This is the reading and sound design for Poe Theatre’s movement-based piece. With themes echoing Poe’s story “The Tell-Tale Heart,” our production of “The Eye That Saw Death” was an undeniabl...

The Murders in the Rue Morgue Recorded live at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon, The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre presents Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” streaming on WYPR just in time for the author’s 215th  birthday. “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” introduced readers everywhere to C. Auguste Dupin, Poe’s brilliant French detective. The story created the detect...

In this episode we celebrate the anniversary of Poe’s well-known poem “The Bells,” written in May 1848 and published posthumously in 1849. The Bells describes the cycle of adult life, from excitement to joy, to fear and ultimately to the sorrow and somberness of death. Our celebration today features a performance from Baltimore’s Charm City Bronze Handbell En...

Season One Finale! This story has been adapted into several international motion pictures (including one as recently as 2008), and was the musical subject of the world-famous progressive rock band The Alan Parsons Project. It is widely applauded as among the first works in American fiction to criticize the poor treatment of the mentally ill in the 1800s. As one of Poe’s best-known satirical...

Madeleine Usher is alive, after all. In this episode, we listen back to the story of how she was mistakenly entombed, and how that was the beginning of the end for the Ushers and their ancestral home. Also, Doctor Mallard meets a stranger interested in learning more about the asylum. Only one more episode before this season comes to an end! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Summoned to the aid of an old college friend, our protagonist embarks on a journey to a mysterious ancestral home and encounters not only the unfortunate friend but his frail and ghost-like sister. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Intrigue, revenge and death in the Royal Court! First published in 1849, the year of Poe’s death, this story has been adapted numerous times, including having been sung by David Bowie in Lou Reed’s album “The Raven.” In this adaptation, we take a melodramatic and fantastic look at this most unlikely love affair. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy Halloween! In the conclusion of this two-part series, the Author and Toby Dammit stumble upon a mysterious little man in a covered bridge. Toby cannot resist demonstrating his “athletic prowess” to the man, but the results are not quite what he (repeatedly) bargained for. Part Two of a rare comedic story from Edgar Allan Poe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Toby Dammit was a man of questionable moral fiber. Coming home from a pub one night, he learns the consequences of a life of excess, and his trademark saying gets put to the ultimate test. Part One in a two-part adaptation of one of Poe’s few comedic stories See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this second episode of our guest production “Edgar Allan” by The Coldharts, Edgar and his nemesis have the first meeting of their secret society. Edgar reveals a terrible secret, and immediately regrets his decision. Mallard and company return in October! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take a brief holiday from Dr. Mallard and his patients with this very special two-part guest production of “Edgar Allan,” from The Coldharts. This new musical is a reimagining of Poe’s childhood days, combined with an adaptation of his short story “William Wilson.” Mallard and company return in October! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A man, found wandering in the desert, tells a harrowing tale of his failed efforts to find the fabled City of Gold with his eccentric partner. But what is the secret he can’t bear to admit? Adapted from Poe's well-known poem. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Of the many fears that plague humankind, claustrophobia and the unrelenting terror of being entombed alive may be the worst. In this episode, The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre on the Air recounts one woman’s fate - and provides an unsettling look at Dr. Mallard’s more cruel side. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wear your headphones as we play with high and low frequencies and ASMR tricks to make you uncomfortable. Poe’s famous poem about love, lost hope, obsession and tragedy gets a dramatic retelling and an extra-unsettling listening experience. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They say a life at sea changes a man, but this story takes that to the extreme. In this episode, The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre on the Air takes on Poe’s tale of tragedy at sea, and the physical toll on those who survive the clutches of a near-mythical storm. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.