Poe Boys
Brat Productions' Michael Alltop talks scary Edgar stuff.
Brat Productions, which will commemorate Edgar Allan Poe's 200th birthday with a monthlong "Haunted Poe" program (Oct. 1-Nov. 1, 38 Jackson St., hauntedpoe.com), has planned several events in anticipation of the momentous event. The most appropriate must be Laurel Hill Cemetery's "In the Startled Ear of Night" (Thu., Aug. 20, 8 p.m.). This special BYOFL (Bring Your Own Flashlight) tour of Laurel Hill's grounds features stops made at grave sites relevant to Poe's life and a Poe historian sharing anecdotes of the author's time in Philadelphia. Michael Alltop, producing artistic director at Brat Productions, gives City Paper the nevermore what-for.
City Paper: So whose idea was it to hit the bone yard?
Michael Alltop: Laris Kreslins, our marketing and engagement coordinator, came up with the idea and the title, "In the Startled Ear of Night." He was thinking about the theme of "Haunted Poe," the way you walk through the performance, and took that a step further.
CP: Why Laurel Hill? There're plenty of spooky spots closer to your offices.
MA: It's gorgeous and gothic and historic. It is almost certain that Poe visited Laurel Hill as it was a popular, park-like destination for city-dwellers in his time. And many of his contemporaries, friend and foe alike, are probably buried there.
CP: What will you guys do when you're there other than hold flashlights under your chin and go "boo"?
MA: Carol Yaster (from Laurel Hill) and Edward "The Philly Poe Guy" Pettit will accompany 50 or 60 people as we visit 10 grave sites of people significant to Poe. They will dig deeper into Poe's time in Philly and relate stories of the people who befriended and battled the author. At several stops there will be a "surprise" — a costumed and masked character may appear from a mausoleum, or a guest reader may perform a short section from a Poe story or poem. At the conclusion of the one-hour walk, we will raise a glass to the artists and eccentrics who came before us and called Philly home.
CP: What does it say about the connection between local arts endeavors and new spaces?
MA: We're trying to enrich the experience of attending Haunted Poe. I think there will be so much more appreciation for our show if someone takes the time to actually read his work, or learn more about the history of our city. Before I started work on this project I had absolutely no knowledge of Laurel Hill, and taking the tour in preparation for this made me feel as if I'd been on a mini-vacation in the space of an hour. I believe that local arts groups stand only to benefit by thinking outside the proscenium, by reaching out to potential audiences wherever they may be found — even if it's at a graveyard.
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