[NEohioPAL]Poe Play Premieres

[Mark Dawidziak]

Solon Center for the Arts and Akron-Summit County Public Library
To Host the Premiere Performances of
The Largely Literary Theater Company's "The Tell-Tale Play"
A Two-act Collection of Poems and Stories by Edgar Allan Poe
    The Akron-Summit County Public Library will host the world premiere
of the Largely Literary Theater Company's "The Tell-Tale Play," a
two-act collection of poems and stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Arranged and
directed by Mark Dawidziak, the presentation will be staged in the Main
Library auditorium at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 20.
    The production then moves to the Solon Center for the Arts for a
7:30 p.m. performance on Friday, Oct. 28.
    Designed for high school students and older, the Akron-Summit County
Public Library performance is free and open to the public. Three popular
area actors – Tom Stephan, Sara Showman and Alex J. Nine – interpret
Poe's works, telling the audience along the way about the writer's short
but eventful life and career.
    Perhaps best known for its acclaimed three-person version of Charles
Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," the Largely Literary Theater Company
specializes in faithful adaptations of great literary works. Its dual
mission is to promote interest in literature and live theater.
    Three of Poe's classic short stories are presented in "The Tell-Tale
Play": "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Masque
of the Red Death." Also included are three of his major poems: "The
Raven," "Annabel Lee" and "The Bells." Other poems in the play are
"Alone," "Eldorado," "Dreamland" and "Spirits of the Dead."
    The set for the Largely Literary Theater Company production is
relatively simple. The lights go up on three lecterns – one covered in
rich velvety material – arranged before a succession of black curtains.
    There are three chairs set behind the lecterns, with assorted
pillars, candelabra and gothic set pieces establishing the mood. The
three actors enter, dressed in period costumes, acknowledge each other,
open their scripts, then Showman steps forward, stopping down stage and
center, to welcome the audience.
    Before the first offering, Stephan's interpretation of  "The
Tell-Tale Heart," the three actors take a moment or two to tell the
audience about "Poe's brief, brilliant and tortured life." Born in
Boston on January 19, 1809, Poe "spent only 40 years on this planet,"
yet he "found the time to create the detective story and write a couple
dozen of the most influential horror stories ever put to paper."
    The popular image of Poe is that of a doomed genius, and the
stereotype, we learn, certainly has its roots in reality. But the
collected works of Poe span seventeen volumes and include not only
poems, terror tales and mystery stories, but satire, essays, literary
criticism and comic pieces.
    "The Tell-Tale Play," however, celebrates Poe as the master of the
macabre, making it an ideal Halloween theater treat. Parking is free in
the High/Market garage if you arrive after 6 p.m. For more information,
contact the Library's Marketing Department at 330-643-9091.
    The Solon Center for the Arts  is located at 6315 SOM Center Road,
Solon. General admission for the Oct. 28 performance is $12; $10 for
seniors and students. For information on the Solon performance, call
440-337-1400 or visit solonarts.org.
    The Largely Literary Theater Company was founded by Dawidziak and
Showman in late 2001. In addition to "A Christmas Carol" (now in its
fourth year) and "The Tell-Tale Play," the company's repertoire includes
an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's "A Child's Garden of Verses"
and a two-act collection of Mark Twain sketches, "The Reports of My
Death Are Greatly Exaggerated."
    Dawidziak, the company's artistic director, is the TV critic at the
Cleveland Plain Dealer. His nine published books include a novel, "Grave
Secrets," and such non-fiction works as "Mark My Words: Mark Twain on
Writing," "The Columbo Phile: A Casebook," "The Barter Theatre Story:
Love Made Visible," "The Night Stalker Companion" and "Horton Foote's
The Shape of the River: The Lost Teleplay About Mark Twain."
    For bookings, contact Dawidziak and Showman at the Largely Literary
Theater Company: 330-923-8350 or at hlgrouch at megsinet.net

COMPANY BIOS for "The Tell-Tale Play"

 Alex J. Nine has acted or directed at most of the theaters in the
greater Akron area. An Akron native, he is a Kenmore High School and
University of Akron graduate and an employee of Wayne Homes. Some of his
favorite roles are Freddie in Noises Off at Hudson Players, Brick in
"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" at Weathervane Playhouse and Hamlet at Coach
House Theatre (for which he won his first of four Royal Coach Awards).
Other notable roles include include Oberon, Lysander and Demetrius in "A
Midsummer Night's Dream," Master Ford in "The Merry Wives of Windsor,"
Leonard Vole in "Witness for the Prosecution," William Blore in "Ten
Little Indians," John Proctor in "The Crucible," Shep Henderson in
"Bell, Book and Candle," Joe Pendleton in "Heaven Can Wait" and Willum
Cubbert in "The Nerd." He just directed Neil Simon's "Broadway Bound" at
Coach House, where he has appeared in eleven shows, including "Chapter
Two," "Crimes of the Heart," "6 Rms Riv Vu," "Private Lives" and "The
Real Thing." He is currently a member of the Stow Players' Production
Committee and he will direct another Neil Simon comedy, "The Sunshine
Boys," at Stow in March of 2006. For four years, he was a member of the
Board of Trustees for Tree City Players in Kent, serving as vice
president for three of those years. During those years, he directed
seven shows for the company, ranging from Shakespeare's "Love's Labours
Lost" to William
Saroyan's "Hello, Out There!" and Eileen Moushey's "My Fatal Valentine."
His directing credits also include The Odd Couple" and "The Foreigner"
at North Canton Playhouse and "Communicating Doors" at Hudson Players.
He is also preparing to play several roles in "The Reports of My Death
Are Greatly Exaggerated," the Largely Literary Theater Company's two-act
adaptation of sketches by Mark Twain.

    Sara Showman has appeared in many productions in Ohio since moving
to the Akron area in 1983. She has worked with professional companies,
as well as college, children's and community theaters. She has appeared
at Kent State, Weathervane, Coach House Theatre, the Beck Center for the
Performing Arts, the Canton Players Guild, Porthouse Theatre Company,
the Working Theater and Actors Summit Theater. An Equity membership
candidate, she earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in acting and
directing from Kent State University. Favorite roles include Bella in
"Lost in Yonkers," Melissa in "Love Letters," Clara in "I'm Not
Rappaport" and Shirley in "Shirley Valentine." She also has appeared in
four Shakespeare productions at Stan Hywet. Before moving to Ohio, she
appeared in several productions for theater companies in her native
Tennessee, including "Another Part of the Forest," "A Little Night
Music," "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Ten Little Indians" and "Inherit
the Wind." She is the co-founder of the Largely Literary Theater
Company, playing 15 roles in "A Christmas Carol" and co-starring in "A
Child's Garden of Verses."

    Tom Stephan combined his acting avocation with his vocational
pursuits for 31 years before he retired from English and drama teaching
at Stow-Munroe Falls High School. He was recognized as a "child star" at
the age of seven when he first appeared onstage in Canton, Ohio, but it
was actually at the age of 21 when he began teaching school that the
drama bug bit once more. He started with a supporting role in a Stow
Players production, and has now been seen in over 60 major productions
in the greater Akron-Canton area, including the Weathervane Playhouse,
Coach House Theater, Goodyear Theater, the old Bath Players, and the
Players Guild of Canton. He has won three Best Actor and one Best
Supporting Actor Awards from the Weathervane Playhouse, and was honored
by the State Department of Education for implementation of a middle
school program called “Drama in the Classroom.” For 15 years he has
either succumbed as murder victim or triumphed as scoundrel in numerous
"Mysteries by Moushey," audience interactive murder mysteries, in the
Akron/Cleveland/Canton area. Several years ago he branched out into
radio and TV , serving as spokesman and voice-over talent for commercial
and industrial work. As a retired teacher, he intends to pursue acting,
voice work, radio-TV, commercial work, and all other performance
ventures that look both interesting and lucrative. This will be his
fourth year playing Ebenezer Scrooge in the Largely Literary Theater
Company's three-person adaptation of "A Christmas Carol."

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