The Edgar Allen Poe House and Museum is sadly on the brink of closure. The infamous Baltimore landmark is far from self-sufficient, thus its losing more money than it’s making. The outlook is quite bleak, if finances don’t turn around by next June, the place will close. The Bedlam Ensemble, a non-profit theater group in New York City, is hoping to change the precarious position the establishment is in. The Delirium of Edgar Allen Poe, an interactive off-Broadway production, is going into performance by the group, with all proceeds going to the Poe House. Kimberly Freeman, artistic director for the Bedlam Ensemble and co-producer of the production, had this to say of the possible closing, “The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum should not be allowed to close. It’s not right for such a well respected literary icon to have part of his history destroyed/closed. It’s part of the Poe legacy which in turn is part of American history and should be treated with the respect it deserves.” The production is set to have very intentionally ‘Victorian / Steampunk’ feel, giving an extra edge to the interactive play, and with a stylized and open set which is set out for patrons to explore, this is something atypical even for an off-Broadway play. Performances will take place at Altered Stages 2, (150 West 28th Street, New York City) on October 28-30, November 4-6 and 11-13. Performances start at 8 PM, tickets are $22 – $35.
