Sagebrush presents ‘An Evening with Poe’

Sheila McGuire, Herald Reporter
Posted 9/20/21

Community theater

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Sagebrush presents ‘An Evening with Poe’

Posted

EVANSTON — Anyone aching to get into the autumn Halloween spirit would do well to consider attending Sagebrush Theatre’s “An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe” this upcoming weekend. The four-person production runs five performances, with the first two taking place Sept. 17-18 and the final three slated for Sept. 23-25.

The production, directed by Scotty Heckert with assistance from Katie Heckert, features seven short stories and poems written by Poe and adapted for the local stage by Rebecca Hillstead. Act one includes “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Oval Portrait” and “Lenore.” After a brief intermission, the players return to the stage with “The Raven,” “The Bells,” “The Tell Tale Heart” and “A Dream Within A Dream.”

With minimal set and props, the cast nonetheless showed off their acting chops and obvious appreciation of the material on opening night, Friday, Sept. 17.

The cast of Devin Short, Katie Heckert, Jenny Palmer and Shelbey Bowman, all clad in black, delighted the small audience, with attendees showing their appreciation with applause and gasps of approval, particularly during the second act. Other Sagebrush crew working on the set include Dawn Gifford, Julia Kokoshka, Cherise Bridge, Chrystal Dunn, Jack Beck and Jane Dunn.

Performances this week will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 23-24, and at 2 p.m. on the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 25. Admission cost is $10.