The Poe Plays: A Retrospective

On Oct. 3, something haunting happened in the Pepsi Forum. 38 students put on a production of “The Poe Plays,” a forty-five minute vignette play. “The Poe Plays” adapt and modernize 6 classic Edgar Allan Poe stories. “The Telltale Heart” becomes “A Telltale American Girl Heart;” “The Cask of Amontillado” to “The Cask of Fake Bravado;” “The Pit and The Pendulum” to “The Lit Compendium;” “The Raven” to “Sent by RacketRaven13”; “The Fall of House of Usher” to “The Fall of the Classroom of Mrs. Usher;” and “The Black Cat,” which does not change its name.

In the adaptations of “The Poe Plays,” most scenes are changed and twisted in some way; in “Sent by RacketRaven13,” the Raven’s words change into texts from an unknown number. In “A Telltale American Girl Heart,” it is no longer an old man who creeps out our main character, but an off-putting doll to make the story less violent.

Of course, this show could not be performed with a straight face. Paige Sarro (Media & Communications, '28), director of “The Poe Plays,” called it “a stupid comedy show, but it was our stupid comedy show and we had so much fun.” Indeed, it was a show that did not often take itself seriously, but it was not to its detriment. Most, if not all, scenes had numerous visual and auditory gags.

One such scene was “The Fall of the Classroom of Mrs. Usher.” The plot of said scene involved a student vacuuming a dead hamster, after which the dead hamster came back to life and attacked Mrs. Usher. Then, without warning, the classroom split in two and sank into a pond. Despite this absurd description, the scene made sense when put together. No character questions what is happening in the moment because everything is played for laughs.

In theater, shows typically have multiple weeks of constant rehearsals, with up to five rehearsals per week for a month or longer. However, “The Poe Plays” only consisted of eight rehearsals, and, according to Sarro, most of the cast were called to only two or three of them. “We only had eight rehearsals to figure it out, but everyone gave it their all and it really [paid] off. The JWU Players fall play has a quick turnaround, we rehearse the entire first month of school and all [of a] sudden have a show by October.”

Fortunately, this short rehearsal time did not detract from the show. Despite its small budget, the show went without a hitch. Sarro described how “[e]veryone put their all into it and it really showed. The whole cast and crew really embraced the process, and by the end, it came together beautifully. All the pieces fell into place and came together to be such a fun and amazing show. All the laughter, chaos, and late-night rehearsals were so worth it. I’m so proud of all of them.”

If you missed “The Poe Plays,” don’t worry! You can always come and support JWU Players through their Escape Room on Oct. 24-25th in the Pepsi Forum and the Spring Musical, which will be showing in the spring. Check out their Instagram, @jwuplayerspvd, to find more information!