Studio B Takes on Edgar Allan Poe

Studio B, a Maplewood and South Orange performing arts organization featuring local artists, will be presenting a Halloween show depicting the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

"SCREAM: An Evening With Edgar Allan Poe and His Ladies" debuts at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Durand Road in Maplewood, on Saturday, Oct. 26. Tickets are $20.

Halloween isn’t all about candy, Studio B reminds us. Every October is the chance to celebrate all things creepy and villainous. Scream will take the audience off-roading through the emotional terrain of the women in Poe’s life.

“If there is a grandfather of the Halloween season, it’s Poe,” said Marcy Thompson, co-founder of Studio B. “This is when we give ourselves the chance to go to the dark side.”

“And Poe was one great big dark side,” added co-founder Jenny Turner Hall.

Studio B will present Scream in their typical, offbeat fashion. Known for producing multi-disciplinary, multi-media events, this production will feature film, dance, music, spoken word, and live painting.

“There is a constant theme in Poe’s work: the death of beautiful women. And that’s no accident. Poe suffered a great deal of loss – the women in his life were really tragic figures,” said Turner Hall.

“And those tragic figures found their way into his work. And then some,” added Thompson. “You might say he was haunted.”

Following their mission of collaborating with artists who live in the community, Studio B has gathered a diverse group of local performers for Scream. Monkeyworks, a seven-piece, improvisational orchestra will provide the musical engine for the show, and actors Julie Campbell and Brad Stone will play the various roles (written by Thompson and Turner Hall).

Heather Harrington, modern dancer, formerly of the Martha Graham Company is featured, as well as live painting from the dynamic painting duo Mikel Frank and Gerard Amsellem.

Scream will also star indie-electro rock sensation Beach, who plays the electric violin, bass, ukulele, and keytar. She starred as Bitch in the John Cameron Mitchell film Shortbus, and has had her songs featured on Showtime’s The L Word.

“We’re thrilled to have a new artist on board. This town is going to flip for Beach,” said Turner Hall.

Click here to purchase tickets.