Hearing Poe: Action and Suspense in English Language Arts

 

The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre is building on its success in Washington, DC, to bring an innovative learning opportunity to disadvantaged young people in Baltimore.

 

In 2016,  Molotov Theatre Group developed a pilot common-core curriculum executed in partnership with Ballou STAY High School in Anacostia. Dubbed “Shakespeare Flesh and Blood,” the program focused on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 2.

 

The curriculum work culminated in a performance by students at The  DC Council Office Building (The Wilson Building), as part of Politics and Art, a Jam Session — a cooperative effort between Washington Performing Arts and Councilmember David Grosso’s ArtsAction DC coalition.

 

Developed by The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre Education Director Jennifer Restak, the Hearing Poe curriculum will engage students in the action and suspense of Poe in the classroom through performance and literacy, locating the drama and action of Poe’s work in more contemporary contexts.