The Poe Birthday Celebration was a smash this year! All performances were sold out. I adapted "The Fall of the House of Usher" to wild applause. There was also a live radio drama of "The Cask of Amontillado," and Mr. Poe recited some of his poetry. Very exciting, very meaningful...
I must admit to a complete lack of modesty in feeling extremely pleased with us. What an extraordinary event we created. We really cared about the work, we really cared about the script, we really cared about the world we created, and we really cared about each other. Then we got to perform for an audience that really cared about the piece, and they immediately recognized that we cared deeply, and that wonderful energy just kept building the momentum.
We did the right piece at the right time for the right reasons and everything went right! Now, how often does THAT happen? There may have been no set, but there was a beautiful set on that stage -- we conjured a world! My actors (that I've worked with for 20 years) were the living embodiment of Poe's characters -- the Friend so grounded, strong and solid, Roderick so painfully delicate, and then, then we have the heart of the piece, the beautiful and tragic Madeline. No illustrator has ever come closer to capturing these characters.
The gods of art are not finished with us yet, and the work we are to do will reveal itself to us. We're beginning the second act of this astounding chronicle of our lives, and the plot and the purpose seems to be coming into focus... Whatever may be in store, I revere our past, I revel in our present and look forward to our future!
I must admit to a complete lack of modesty in feeling extremely pleased with us. What an extraordinary event we created. We really cared about the work, we really cared about the script, we really cared about the world we created, and we really cared about each other. Then we got to perform for an audience that really cared about the piece, and they immediately recognized that we cared deeply, and that wonderful energy just kept building the momentum.
We did the right piece at the right time for the right reasons and everything went right! Now, how often does THAT happen? There may have been no set, but there was a beautiful set on that stage -- we conjured a world! My actors (that I've worked with for 20 years) were the living embodiment of Poe's characters -- the Friend so grounded, strong and solid, Roderick so painfully delicate, and then, then we have the heart of the piece, the beautiful and tragic Madeline. No illustrator has ever come closer to capturing these characters.
The gods of art are not finished with us yet, and the work we are to do will reveal itself to us. We're beginning the second act of this astounding chronicle of our lives, and the plot and the purpose seems to be coming into focus... Whatever may be in store, I revere our past, I revel in our present and look forward to our future!