Resource Guide Compiled by Nancy Marcy
SEPT 15
- OCT
9
2009
Resource Guide
Compiled by Nancy Marcy
Funding provided by the Missouri Arts Council and the ArtsKC Fund
tell-tale electric poe
Resource Guide Compiled by Nancy Marcy
A Note from the Artistic and
Education Directors
Table of Contents:
In a Nutshell................................................ page 3
Pre-Performance Activities........................... page 5
Post-Performance Activities.......................... page 8
Resources.................................................. page 10
For the 2009 Poe Bicentennial, we will honor Poe in an arrestingly revelatory
way. Horrifying and humorous, our latest creation blends old with new. In a
masterful blending of actor and musician, expertly selected Poe passages are
complemented by musical underscoring and retorts from a reactive electric
guitar. This two person show overflows with poetry, riffs, ghosts and morbid
prose floating in an atmospheric setting.
Coterie Theatre’S
31st Season
The Coterie is dedicated to providing leaders with educational and creative
resources because we know that preparation deepens the viewing of a play
greatly. The Coterie is also dedicated to providing powerful live theatre with
the highest quality production values because we know our audiences recognize and appreciate these standards. Thank you for arranging to bring your
group to the Coterie Theatre to experience Tell-Tale Electric Poe.
Tell-Tale Electric Poe
September 15 – October 9, 2009
Little House on the Prairie
November 3 – December 29, 2009
Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi
January 26 – February 28, 2010
Frindle
April 6 – May 16, 2010
Jeff Church, Producing Artistic Director
Meghann Henry, Education Director
Young Playwrights’ Festival
April 28 – 29, 2010
Lucky Duck
June 22- August 8, 2010
Curriculum Ties
Communication arts/literature (myth, study of short stories/genres/literary
devices), social studies (cultural influences, human condition)
Coterie Theatre
2450 Grand Boulevard, Suite 144
Kansas City, MO 64108
Issues and Themes
Love, pride, beauty, death, Gothic past, the interior mind, first person
narration
Box Office: (816) 474-6552 FAX: (816) 474-2225
Administrative Office: (816) 474-6785
Education Director: Meghann Henry, ext. 231
[email protected]
Producing Artistic Director: Jeff Church, ext. 232
[email protected]
Executive Director: Joette Pelster, ext. 229
[email protected]
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Resource Guide Compiled by Nancy Marcy
In a Nutshell
or... If you don’t have time for anything else, read this.
Main Idea
Poe’s writings reflect the universal themes of beauty, love, pride,
death, and the compelling force of truth and justice. We read his
stories and get lost in the mystery, the terror of the unknown, the fall
into madness. In fact, it would seem that Poe didn’t write to teach a
“moral lesson;” he wrote to create an effect within the reader.
from an electric guitar played by Rex Hobart. Much like in jazz,
Hobart will improvise his guitar responses to (and with) the text. Visit
www.coterietheatre.org to hear music samples.
As with all writers, Poe’s life experiences influenced his writing; however, they are not autobiographical. Actor Bruce Roach will not perform
as Poe; rather, he will assume the character of the narrator or poet in
each of the selections:
• Alone
• The Bells
• The Raven
• William Wilson
• The Pit and the Pendulum
• The Tell Tale Heart
In an essay on “The Philosophy of Composition,” he used “The Raven”
as a case study to illustrate his theory of writing. In constructing a
story or poem, Poe thought first of what effect he wanted to create –
would he best create the effect through incidents in the narrative or in
the narrative’s tone. Poe’s cousin Harry Lee Poe writes “…the reader
knows exactly what has happened because imagination completes the
tale where Poe’s pen stops. The power of terror lies in its ability to
engage the imagination of the ordinary person.” Because his tales of
terror leave something to the imagination, his work becomes an excellent choice for dramatic interpretation.
Primary Question
Poe was intrigued by science and what would become psychology. He
did not simply relate vivid descriptions of gratuitous violence – he
explored the minds of those who committed the outrages. What drives
a man over the edge? How far away are any of us from madness?
Each of the six pieces in Tell-Tale Electric Poe looks at these questions.
“The story is told through the eyes of a madman….. who like all
of us, believed he was sane.”
- From the prelude to the Tell-Tale Heart Animation
Photo by Marianne Kilroy
About the Play
The poems “Alone,” “The Bells,” “The Raven;” the short stories
“William Wilson,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” and “The Tell-Tale
Heart” were selected by Director Jeff Church to comprise the play
Tell-Tale Electric Poe. These pieces were adapted for the stage by Jeff
Church and Bruce Roach, with live music played and composed by Rex
Hobart. With the exception of “William Wilson,” each piece will be
accompanied by musical underscoring and “riffs” (musical comments)
In Tell-Tale Electric Poe, Alone, The Bells, William Wilson, The Pit
and the Pendulum, The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart. Performed by
Bruce Roach; Composed and performed by Rex Hobart.
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About the Author
Edgar Allan Poe [1809-1849] is
known today for his chilling tales
of horror and haunting poems. The
famous 19th century author, however,
was recognized in his own day as an
editor and literary critic. Poe’s contributions to the field of literature rank
him as one of America’s greatest writers. Poe was a pioneer of the short
story, as well the science fiction
genre, with tales of fantastic balloon
voyages, feats of mesmerism, and the nature and origin of the universe.
In 1831, Edgar Allan Poe went to New York City where he had some of
his poetry published. He submitted stories to a number of magazines
and they were all rejected. Poe had no friends, no job, and was in
financial trouble. He sent a letter to John Allan begging for help but
none came. John Allan died in 1834 and did not mention Edgar in his will.
In 1835, Edgar finally got a job as an editor of a newspaper because of
a contest he won with his story, “The Manuscript Found in a Bottle.” As
the editor for the Southern Literary Messenger, Poe successfully managed the paper and increased its circulation from 500 to 3,500 copies.
He moved to Philadelphia in 1838 and his first volume of short stories,
“Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque” was published in 1839. Poe
received the copyright and 20 copies of the book, but no money.
Poe’s theory of an expanding universe (as laid out in Eureka) has
been demonstrated and accepted by the scientific community, but few
[Definition of the grotesque] “…much of the beautiful, much
remember that Poe originated the idea. Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of
of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible
Sherlock Holmes) stated that Poe “was the father of the detective tale,
and not a little of that which might have excited disgust.”
and covered its limits so completely that I fail to see how his followers can
- Edgar Allan Poe
find any fresh ground which they can confidently call their own.”
Edgar Poe was the second son of actors David Poe and Elizabeth
Hopkins. (In those days, acting was not a reputable profession.) His
parents both died in the month before his third birthday and Edgar and
his siblings Henry and Rosalie were separated. Edgar lived with John
and Frances Allan in Richmond. From 1815 to 1820, John Allan and
his family lived in London.
“...Literature is the most noble of professions...I shall be a
‘litterateur’ at least, all my life; nor would I abandon the hopes
which still lead me on for all the gold in California.”
- Poe to Frederick W. Thomas, February 14, 1849
Sometime in 1840, Edgar Poe joined George R. Graham as an editor
for Graham’s Magazine. During the two years that Poe worked for
Graham’s, he published his first detective story (“The Murders in the
Rue Morgue”) and challenged readers to send in cryptograms, which
he always solved. During the time Poe was editor, the circulation of the
magazine rose from 5,000 to 35,000 copies. Poe left Graham’s in 1842
because he wanted to start his own magazine.
Poe’s rather stormy personal life and an unscrupulous literary agent
made it difficult for his work to receive an honest evaluation. It also
clouded the dignity of his death. Fortunately, extensive research about
Edgar Allan Poe’s life and death (though the latter is still shrouded in
th
For a 19 Century American, Poe had a remarkable opportunity to spend mystery) has provided rich and varied information. (See the Resources
five years of his youth in England and Scotland. The good fortune faded section at the end of this resource guide for some of the many websites
and books appropriate for young adults.)
when John Allan’s business went bankrupt and the family returned to
Richmond. Poe went to the University of Virginia in 1826, but quit school
after the first year. He joined the U.S. Army in 1827. He did reasonably
well in the Army and attained the rank of sergeant major.
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Resource Guide Compiled by Nancy Marcy
CRITICAL THINKING
Pre-Performance Activities
The Death of Poe
Although it has been established
that Poe died in the hospital,
legend had it that he died
in a gutter, the victim of his
“debauched ways.” However,
according to an Associated
Press story in the New York
Times, September 19, 1990,
Poe almost surely did not die of
alcohol poisoning or withdrawal.
Rex Hobart at the gravesite Dr. R. Michael Benitez,
of Edgar Allan Poe.
cardiologist and assistant
professor of medicine at the
University of Maryland medical Center, said that in the brief time
when Poe was calm and awake in the hospital at the time of his
death he refused alcohol and could drink water only with great
difficulty. Benitez conjectures that it is quite possible Poe died of
rabies. Rabies victims frequently exhibit hydrophobia, or fear of
water, because it is painful to swallow. Other speculations include
meningitis, brain hemorrhage, epilepsy, or a toxic blood disorder.
When audiences attend a play, they bring a background of personal
knowledge and a set of expectations that shape their experience.
Several factors are involved:
• Knowledge and personal memories
• Awareness of the social, political, and philosophical world in
which the play was written or produced (the link between
theatre and society)
• Specific information about the play and the playwright
• Individual expectations of the event
Teachers and group leaders have the responsibility for giving students
the opportunity to consider each of these four factors, and the Coterie
Resource Guide is a helpful place to begin.
What frightens you?
The so-called “horror story” was popular during the 19th century, and
Poe knew it. However, Poe chose to not follow their pattern of blood and
gore. He turned instead to the inner workings of the mind of man. He
investigated human evil – how hatred, arrogant pride, prejudice, and the
malice of the human heart can consume and destroy a person.
Before they attend the performance, ask students to think of things
that have made them afraid – inexplicably mean or angry people,
unexplained sounds, shadows, etc. Perhaps they have been involved in,
or heard about, a mysterious or inexplicable event. Have them tell their
events dramatically to the rest of the class.
October 3, 1849 (the day that Poe was found outside Gunner’s
Hall), was an election day, and the hall was being used as a
polling place. Because Poe’s clothes were so disheveled and
ill-fitting it is also thought that he might have been abducted,
forced to drink alcohol, and used as a repeat voter. (This
was a fraudulent 19th century practice known as “cooping.”)
Whatever the reason, Poe died quietly on October 7, 1949,
and the world lost a brilliant, inventive, and imaginative author
and poet.
When students arrive at the theatre, they will note that the set design
does not forecast specific events of the coming plays; rather, the light,
sound and set pieces suggest a mood and atmosphere for the stories to
come. Violent things that happen in the stories are given a theatricality
that illustrates the event in an abstract way without being literal. The
guiding vision of the director and designers reflects their belief in the
power of the word, enhanced by visual and aural images, to create
terror. The power of terror lies in its ability to engage the imagination
of the ordinary person. Encourage students to use all of their senses to
determine what creates the atmosphere of expectation in the theatre as
they enter, as they wait for the play to begin, and as they watch the play.
“And then there stole into my fancy, like a rich musical note,
the thought of what sweet rest there must be in the grave.”
- from “The Pit and the Pendulum”
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Resource Guide Compiled by Nancy Marcy
Elements of Theatre
The set and audience arrangement for each play at the Coterie is different from the one before. A story told on stage does not need its scenery
(the set) to look completely “real.” Certainly, the set may be realistic,
but more often the set will provide a suggestion of time and place with
great care taken to supply the ambience or “mood” for the play. Theatre
audiences, as do readers of fiction, engage in a phenomenon known as
the “suspension of disbelief.” This is a semi-conscious decision in which
you put aside your willing disbelief and accept the premise as being real
for the duration of the story. The audience for Tell-Tale Electric Poe is a
part of theatre, defined by three things: a story to tell, performers to
tell it, and an audience to respond to it.
“…much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the
bizarre, something of the terrible and not a little of that which
might have excited disgust.” – E.A. Poe
This quote served as inspiration for the mood of Tell-Tale Electric Poe
The YouTube animation
of “The Tell-Tale Heart”
was the inspiration for
much of the set for TellTale Electric Poe.
Designer Rex Hobart’s initial rendering of the set design for TellTale Electric Poe. As rehearsals progressed the design altered to
accommodate new discoveries.
Rex Hobart (set design/composer) and Jeff Church (director)
discussed the mood and atmosphere of Tell-Tale Electric Poe as Hobart
began the design process. They believed the design should suggest
terror and mystery rather than “gore,” since that was the tone of Poe’s
work. Director Church: “The set looks like something and yet it can be
anything.” The set design does not work alone – the designs for light
(Art Kent), sound (David Kiehl), projection (Jeff Cady), and costume
(Georgianna Londré Buchannan) are of equal importance in creating the
atmosphere for Tell-Tale Electric Poe.
Tell-Tale Electric Poe – “Table of Contents”
The following information for each of the poems and short stories in
Tell-Tale Electric Poe will give an overview of the textual and dramatic
adaptation. There are musical and physical transitions between the
selections.
Alone
Poe wrote this poem in the autograph album of Lucy Holmes, later
Lucy Holmes Balderston. The poem was never printed during Poe’s
lifetime and was first published by E. L. Didier in Scribner’s Monthly
(September 1875) in the form of a facsimile. The facsimile, however,
included the addition of a title and date not on the original manuscript. That title was “Alone,” which has remained. Doubts about its
authenticity, in part inspired by this manipulation, have since been
“I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week
before I killed him.”
- from “The Tell-Tale Heart”
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Resource Guide Compiled by Nancy Marcy
calmed. The poem is now seen as one of Poe’s most revealing works.
Director Jeff Church: “We are doing this piece as if a straight-jacketed
mental patient decides to speak after many years of silence.”
Did You Know?
Ravens are rather remarkable animals. These sleek,
black birds are excellent
and acrobatic fliers on par
with falcons and hawks.
Such aerial skills are on
display during breeding
season, when exciting mating rituals include an
elaborate dance of chases, dives, and rolls. These intelligent
birds were honored by Native Americans and often portrayed
as sly pranksters for their playful nature. According to legend, if the ravens leave the Tower of London, the fortress and
the British kingdom will fall.
A strait-jacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with overlong
sleeves and which is typically used to restrain a person who may otherwise cause harm to themselves and others. The ends of the sleeves can
be tied to the back of the wearer, so that the arms are kept close to the
chest with possibility of only little movement.
William Wilson
Poe attended several schools in London, including the Reverend
John Bransby’s Manor House School. Poe used the physical
description of this school in “William Wilson” and even called the
schoolmaster Dr. Bransby.
The Bells
This poem appears in many high school literature texts and particular
lines are generally recognized as a work of Edgar Allan Poe. Pay particular attention to the musical interaction of the guitar and the text. There
are musical bridges between the sections of the poem; the guitar will
set the mood and the actor will follow. Each of the four divisions in the
poem will be treated with separate points of view by the performers.
The dramatic adaptation of “William Wilson” is shorter than the
original story. Director Church describes it as “sound driven.” Rex
Hobart will become the Foley artist and provide many of the
sound effects live. The term Foley artist is named after Jack
Foley, one of the earliest and best-known Hollywood practitioners
of the art. The Foley artist on a film crew is the person who creates many of the natural, everyday sound effects in a film. Often,
the project will have a sound supervisor who will dictate what
sounds need to be covered in a foley session and what needs to
be created by special (audio) effects, which is generally left to the
sound designer.
The Raven
A Victorian wheelchair is central to the performance of “The Raven”. Viewers
should also pay particular attention to the projection images of the raven.
Allen Tate’s critical analysis of this poem states that the entire development of the poem depended upon first designing the climax toward
which the poem would lead. Tate believed that Poe had learned the
value of beginning at the end with a brilliant solution and working backward to construct a problem through his construction of mystery stories.
“‘Nevermore’ must be the final answer that creates the utmost conceivable amount of sorrow and despair.”
The process is much the same in theatre. Sound designer David
Kiehl decides what other sounds he needs to create through audio
effects over Hobart’s foley sound. In “William Wilson,” the sound
design will include a sound to create the sense of passing time and
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Resource Guide Compiled by Nancy Marcy
Post-Performance Activities
Who’s Talking?
a special effect for the “whisper” voice of the doppelganger William
Wilson. Encourage students to listen for other sounds that create a sense Students will explore the dramatic aspects of the first person narrative.
of place.
For an actor to find the character in a play is much like a writer finding his/her voice in writing. Voice, sometimes referred to as “tone” or
The Pit and the Pendulum
“mood” or even “style,” tells the reader about the writer’s personalThis story of a man’s attempt to survive in a torture chamber durity. In theatre a character’s voice reflects who he/she is. Because
ing the Spanish Inquisition isn’t really a horror story – it is more a
suspenseful thriller. If you had been sentenced to death in a torture each of us has a unique personality, we have a unique voice in writing.
Similarly, each character in a play is unique and has his/her voice.
chamber, what would you do? In the staging of “The Pit and the
Pendulum” the actor is restricted in his playing space. What effect
does this have on the actor? Was there an effect on you as an audience member? What is in the Pit? Are the rats horrifying or helpful?
The trick for a writer or an actor is to let that voice come through. This
happens when we make choices in our writing/acting – choices that
reflect who the writer/character is inside. These choices reflect the writer/character’s original thoughts and personal feelings, their particular
The Tell-Tale Heart
way of seeing things and interpreting them and then writing/acting it.
This piece is probably the most well-known of Edgar Allan Poe’s
The set of all the different choices a writer/actor makes determines the
writings. The design team viewed the YouTube animation of “The
collective effect they have on the reader/audience. When writing, Poe
Tell-Tale Heart” (narrated by James Mason) for inspiration in the
design for Tell-Tale Electric Poe. This is a fascinating animated film for thought first of what effect he wanted to create for the reader.
students to watch. Pay particular notice of the set design – the stairs
Recall what you can about each poem and story you saw as a part of
to nowhere and the deteriorating moon are inspired by the video.
Tell-Tale Electric Poe. Who is the voice and personality of each fictional
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4s9V8aQu4c
first person account? Search for pictures on the internet or in magazines
that represent the narrator in these pieces (or any of your favorite Poe
stories and poems). Copy the text of Poe’s writing (these are all available on line since Poe’s work is now in the public domain) and illustrate
it with the visual images you find or create. NOTE: another interesting
side to this activity would be to have students research the concept of
the unreliable narrator.
Harry Clarke illustration from “The Tell-Tale Heart”
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“Whether people grow fat by joking, or whether there is something in fat itself which predisposes to a joke, I have never been
quite able to determine...”
- from “Hop-Frog”
tell-tale electric poe
Resource Guide Compiled by Nancy Marcy
During rehearsals for Tell-Tale Electric Poe, the company referred to this
story as the “reverse Jekyll and Hyde”. Why would they think this?
We have long been taught about our conscience being the judge of for
good vs. bad; in the 1980s a comic coined the phrase “the devil made
me do it.”
From the Actor’s
Perspective
Each poem and story in TellTale Electric Poe is coming from
within one man – actor Bruce
Roach: “All these people are
a part of me, not an ‘imitation’ of Edgar Allan Poe. The
darkness in every poem and
story is what we can know in
our own self – paranoia, fear,
rage, revenge. In my approach
Actor Bruce Roach
to this work I try to not go
to the dark place – it goes there on its own. I have to marshal
myself to not make it dark. I approach the work as innocently
as possible. All that is surrounding me – the lights, sound, and
projections – will fill in more than I should try to do.
Have you ever experienced a battle between your “good” or “bad”
side? Could you write a companion piece to Poe’s story based on this
battle? Select an event, fictional or no, and write in Poe’s first person
narrative style telling your story. Ask one of your classmates to perform your story as a character in a play. You could also create a setting
and record sound effects to accompany the performance.
The Poe Effect
Students use a work written by Edgar Allan Poe to investigate the relationship between word choice and the reader’s mood and interpretation
of the piece of writing.
Read aloud a particularly dark or scary excerpt or short work written
by Edgar Allan Poe to the students. It would be better to select a work
that was not one of the selections in the Coterie play. While you read,
tell students to write in their journals about how the words of the story
make them feel. Ask them to identify specific words and phrases that
especially add to the mood of the writing. Encourage students to share
their answers and discuss how good word choice in a piece of writing
adds to what the reader feels when he or she is reading the work.
“Hopefully the audience will join me in finding the humor that
I have found in the pieces. Rex’s guitar has been an amazing
actor tool in finding the characters and making the transitions
between each piece.”
Students can listen to a composition sample on our website of
Hobart’s work for Tell-Tale Electric Poe.
www.coterietheatre.org
Next, change the atmosphere of the room by turning out or dimming
the lights, playing “mood” music in the background, lighting candles,
etc. Reread the short work or excerpt, telling students to focus on the
wording of the literature. Discuss how the physical setting in which a
work is read affects one’s interpretation of that work. Did the words
you read have the same effect without this special setting?
Do You Have a William Wilson?
Students will write a short story that imitates Poe’s style (first person
narrative) and the situation for “William Wilson.”
Poe’s study of psychology in “William Wilson” anticipates the major
theories of Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis and one of
the twentieth century’s most important psychologists. Poe’s notion of the
rivalrous double predates Freud’s concept of the repressed, unconscious
alter ego by at least half a century. Like Freud, Poe associates the alter
ego with a universal psychological condition, unaffected by specifics of
time or place. William Wilson’s double follows him across Europe – from
England to Italy – and from childhood to adult life.
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Resources
www.coterietheatre.org
Video and audio links related to Tell-Tale Electric Poe
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4s9V8aQu4c
Animated video that inspired the set for Tell-Tale Electric Poe
Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale
Stories by Harry Lee Poe. ©2008 by becker&mayer! Books
ISBN-13:978-1-4351-0469-3
This lovely book contains many facsimiles of documents important in
Poe’s life.
http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/default_flash.asp
This interactive site from Maryland Public Television has a lot of information about the author, plus games and interactive maps relating to his
life and works. NOTE: This site is for older students and includes external
links to sites that have discussion boards. It also has several lesson
plans for educators.
www.nps.gov/edal/forteachers/upload/teacherhandbook.pdf
Teacher handbook from the National Historic Site.
www.poestories.com
This site was built by Robert Giordano contains short stories and poems
by Edgar Allan Poe, story summaries, quotes, and linked vocabulary
words and definitions. It also includes a short biography, a timeline of
Poe’s life, an art gallery, and links to other Poe sites.
www.teachersfirst.com/share/raven/start.html
“The Interactive Raven” covers the vocabulary in the poem and
includes a study of the literary devices: alliteration, assonance, and
internal rhyme.
http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org
Provides information about “The Raven,” critical responses of the time,
and Poe’s own reflections on his work.
www.eapoe.org
Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore. Website includes information
about Poe, his time in Baltimore and the Poe Society.
www.poemuseum.org
The online resources from the Richmond-based museum provide biographical information and images.
www.nps.gov/edal
Edgar Allan Poe House, National Historic Site. This National Park
Service site is intended primarily to help visitors plan their trips but
includes images of the house and some additional information on Poe’s
life and works.
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