ABOUT.



Renowned as the ‘Godfather of Gothic Horror’, Edgar Allan Poe was a pioneer in establishing the horror genre. Although his works are nearly 200 years old, Poe’s stories have stood the test of time and have inspired a countless number of horror writers.


Using Poe’s original text from the 1840s, one actor faithfully brings his words to life on stage, performing four of the most terrifying examples of gothic literature:


Act One:

The Tell-Tale Heart and The Pit and the Pendulum


– Interval –


Act Two:

The Black Cat and The Raven​​



SCROLL THROUGH OUR
REVIEWS & AWARDS:



SOLO PERFORMANCE - STEPHEN SMITH



Nominated - OFF WEST END



★★★★★



"A compelling & repelling experience"



- Elaine Chapman MY THEATRE MATES



★★★★★



"Horrifyingly bleak and powerfully moving ... This show quite literally took my breath away."



- EVERYTHING THEATRE



★★★★★



"A terrifying horror experience that you will struggle to beat ... Smith inhabits this work as though it were a second skin"



- NORTH WEST END



★★★★



"The combination of Poe and Smith will have your imagination running wild"



- THE REVIEWS HUB



★★★★



"Four Edgar Allan Poe stories on the trot.
This is nothing if not a macabrathon"



- LONDONTHEATRE1



Cast and Creatives



Written by Edgar Allan Poe


Directed and Performed by Stephen Smith

Music & Sound Designer - Joseph Furey

Sound Designer- Django Holder


Previous Lighting Designers & Operators:

Eddie Stephens, Han Sayles, Jennifer Plackemeier


Dramaturgical Support:

Amber Buttery for The Tell-Tale Heart

Amy Roberts for The Pit and the Pendulum

Jonah York for The Black Cat

Rebecca Phythian for The Raven


Supported by Watford Palace Theatre as part of the Culture Recovery Fund (Here For Culture)


DIGITAL PROGRAMME

SPRODUCTION HISTORY


OCT 2021 - Watford Palace Theatre (as part of Watford Fringe)

- The Space (as part of the London Horror Festival)

- Southwark Playhouse (Halloween Special)

OCT 2022 - Poe Fest International, Baltimore USA

- Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Baltimore USA

- Under St Marks, New York City USA

NOV 2022 - Old Red Lion Theatre (as part of GrimFest)

JAN 2023 - King's Head Theatre, London

APRIL 2023 - Junction Theatre, Dubai UAE

SEPT 2023 - LIPA, Liverpool

OCT 2023 - Pump House Theatre, Watford (as part of Watford Fringe)

- Arts Bar, Liverpool (as part of Liverpool Fringe)

- Ayscoughfee Hall, Spalding

- Macready Theatre, Rugby

- Royal High School, Bath

- Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham

- Lauriston Castle (as part of Edinburgh Horror Festival)

- Old Red Lion Theatre, London (as part of GrimFest)

MAY 2024 - Tabard Theatre, London

JUNE 2024 - York Medical Society, York

JULY 2024 - The Barn, Watford (as part of Watford Fringe)

AUG 2024 - Greenside @ Riddles Court (as part of Edinburgh Fringe)

SEPT 2024 - Quarry Theatre, Bedford

- Calder Bookshop Theatre, London (as part of Lambeth Fringe)

- The Playground Theatre, London (Pick of the Fringe Season)

OCT 2023 - Poe Fest International, Baltimore USA

- Poe Museum, Richmond VA USA

- Poe Cottage, New York City USA

- Greenwich Theatre, London (Pick of the Fringe Season)

- The Hub at St Marys, Lichfield

- Barons Court Theatre, London



WHY SHOULD YOU WATCH 'ONE MAN POE" ?



WELL, TO ANSWER THAT, MAYBE ASK

WHY SHOULD YOU READ EDGAR ALLAN POE?



The prisoner strapped under a descending pendulum blade. A raven who refuses to leave the narrator’s chamber. A beating heart buried under the floorboards.


Poe’s macabre and innovative stories of gothic horror have left a timeless mark on literature. But just what is it that makes Edgar Allan Poe one of the greatest American authors?


Watch this video to find out...





promo videos





5 minute q&a with stephen smith





AUDIENCE REACTIONS AFTER OUR WATFORD PALACE RUN OF 'ONE MAN POE'





INTRODUCING 'ONE MAN POE' at the LONDON HORROR FESTIVAL





Our theatrical trailer for 'one man poe'
music by joseph furey and photographed by alya sayer





2022 TRAILER - NEW YOR CITY





2022 TRAILER - NEW YOR CITY





'ONE MAN POE' GOES INTERNATIONAL





After being nominated for the prestigious 'Saturday Visiter Award' for our 2021 digital theatre show THE BLACK CAT, we decided to pay a visit to Poe Fest International in Baltimore, USA in October 2022.


In the same trip, we not only won the award for Best Adaptation, but we also performed ONE MAN POE in a theatre space in Baltimore and an Off-Broadway theatre New York City.


ONE MAN POE has also been performed in Malaysia and Dubai.



PAYING RESPECTS





Whilst in Baltimore for Poe Fest 2022, ONE MAN POE performer/director Stephen Smith visited the resting place of the famous American author.


A hopeless alcoholic, Poe died at age 40, drunk in a gutter in Baltimore, a victim of his debauched lifestyle. Those legends abound, and they are apocryphal. Poe likely died of rabies.


After his death in 1849, Poe was buried in an unmarked grave at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in West Baltimore.



BOOK 'ONE MAN POE' IN YOUR HOUSE!





While staying in Brooklyn, we discovered that the full show of ONE MAN POE is a perfect evening's worth of entertainment - from the comfort of a living room!


With just a single candle and a couple of lighting effects and accompanied by the full sound and music design played from a small speaker, the entire show was performed to small, intimate audience and a 2m x 2m space in a Brooklyn apartment.


If you would like to book an evening of Edgar Allan Poe stories for your sitting room, and entertain a group of invited guests, please get in touch via the contact page below.


CONTACT US

2021 IN PERFORMANCE (Photos by Alya Sayer):



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SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS:



'IN Rehearsals' - SEPTEMBER 2021 (Photos by alya sayer):






enquiries@threedumbtheatre.com