One Man Poe scores a viral hit for Stephen

Stephen Smith: adapter, director and performer of acclaimed drama One Man Poe. Pic: Alya Sayer

Started as an online project during the pandemic, solo horror show One Man Poe from Three Dumb Theatre is proving such a hit for Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts graduate Stephen Smith that its new tour of 66 performances takes it not just to UK dates but also to Los Angeles, Baltimore, New York and Limerick.

First performed in 2021 at Watford Palace Theatre, One Man Poe - about the stories of the great American horror writer Edgar Allan Poe - has had multiple runs in London, UK and international tours to Dubai and Off-Broadway, among others. Since its US premiere in 2022 - at the Poe Fest International in Baltimore and the Poe Museum in Richmond, of course - the show has been booked as a recurring event each year at these events. Last year it also sold out its 21-show run at the Edinburgh Fringe, as well as winning the Spookies Award for best horror solo show.

Stephen reignited his love of classical horror stories during the pandemic by creating online renditions of Poe’s work on Facebook Live.

When theatres reopened, he combined four of Poe’s most popular pieces in a solo show and named the extravaganza One Man Poe.

Stephen now performs four of the American author’s most spine-chilling classics, The Tell-Tale Heart; The Pit and the Pendulum; The Black Cat; and The Raven, back-to-back and unabridged, though as he is quick to point out, these aren't readings but fully-characterised performances of the stories.

Stephen said: "Poe’s archaic language offers Gothic horror fans and also classical literature lovers an atmospheric evening rich with imaginative storytelling - a marathon of the macabre. It's proving extremely popular."

Northern dates for One Man Poe are: Theatre@41 in York (June 1); Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot (July 1-2); The King's Arms, Salford (July 3-5) and the even more northern Edinburgh Fringe (August 1-23).

More info here