13 years of madness and terror

PoeFest

Twelve years ago we opened PoeFest with just six audience members. By our third night we were packed and we knew we had something special. PoeFest has been a labor of love for more than a decade now. Thanks to all our past audience members, actors, and crew for helping to make our little Edgar Allan Poe Festival the biggest and best in the country.

"PoeFest presents the works of Edgar Allan Poe in a chilling new way."
-Downtown Devil

PoeFest includes main stage productions of Poe's short stories every weekend during the month of October. We rotate Poe's stories nightly so you can come back and see a completely different show. Then, on Oct. 19th & 26th at 10PM, we present PoeFest Seance-- an exploration of the extrasensory and an attempt to contact the lost soul of Edgar Allan Poe himself. Lastly, our festival comes to a close with our grand finale on Halloween Night featuring performances of 'The Raven' every twenty minutes at the historic Rosson House Museum.

As a result of the pandemic, ACT Inc. is not able to produce PoeFest this year. The Student Writing Competition sponsored by Bookmans Entertainment Exchange is still going and the deadline has been extended to October 26th. Keep an eye out for a special video stream on Halloween. We hope to see you all in 2021.

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New Times Best Halloween Tradition
Phoenix New Times

"100% pure, mind-blowing acting . . . masterful and breathtaking."

Arizona Republic

"PoeFest captures creepy magic . . . creepy mix of erudition and depravity."

KJZZ

"PoeFest delights in darkness. Unsettling. Unnerving."

Arizona Foothills Magazine

"A one-of-a-kind delight . . . poetically haunting and engaging."

PoeFest

Schedule of Events

Saturday, October 31, 2020

Time: TBD
October 5th

Online Stream

TBD

VIEW STREAM
Student Writing Competition

    Student Writing Competition

    Sponsored by
    Bookmans Entertainment Exchange

    http://www.bookmans.com

    PoeFest Student Writing Competition sponsored by Bookmans

    Each year, ACT Inc. and PoeFest, in partnership with Bookmans Entertainment Exchange, hold a Student Writing Competition open to all Arizona students in grades 7, 8, and 9. ACT Inc. and PoeFest are pleased to have Bookmans Entertainment Exchange sponsoring our contests and supplying great prizes to our student winners. Please click here to find the nearest Bookmans location.

    The 2020 contest is now OPEN. Submit your entries today!

    Short Story Contest

    • Author must be in 7th, 8th, or 9th grade for the 2020-2021 school year.
    • Story must be between 1,000 and 7,500 words.
    • Themes must be in the genres of horror and/or mystery.
    • Author must have permission of a parent or guardian.
    • Submission deadline is October 26, 2020.
    • To email your submission click here.

    Poetry Contest

    • Poet must be in the 7th, 8th, or 9th grade for the 2020-2021 school year.
    • Story must be no more than 422 lines
    • Themes must be in the genres of love, horror, and/or death
    • Author must have permission of a parent or guardian.
    • Submission deadline is October 26, 2020.
    • To email your submission click here.

    PoeFest

    Cast

    James D. Porter
    The Tell-Tale Heart

    James D. Porter

    Founder, ACT Inc.

    Jim Coates
    The Cask of Amontillado

    Jim Coates, PhD

    Co-Founder, ACT Inc.

    Danette Porter
    The Oval Portrait

    Danette Porter

    Co-Founder, ACT Inc.

    Laurelann Porter
    The Premature Burial

    Laurelann Porter, PhD

    Teaching Artist, ACT inc.

    David J. Dickinson
    The Facts in the Case of M Valdemar

    David J. Dickinson

    Teaching Artist, ACT Inc.

    What we offer

    Our Shows

    PoeFest Main Stage

    PoeFest Main Stage

    These are not readings. Professional actors have memorized the works of Poe and will perform them in character as inmates from Poe's fictional Maison de Santé Asylum. Stories rotate nightly. The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Premature Burial, The Masque of the Red Death, and new stories for 2019 to be announced. Please see our schedule.

    PoeFest Seance

    PoeFest Séance

    Join us as we probe the paranormal and experiment in the extrasensory all culminating with an attempt to contact the lost spirit of Edgar Allan Poe himself. This show is not recommended for the light-of-heart. Entertainment séance - any possessions, hauntings, poltergeists, phantoms, specters, or restless spirits are strictly coincidental.

    The Raven at Rosson House

    'The Raven' at Rosson House

    Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven' is performed every twenty minutes on the grand staircase inside the restored Victorian mansion. Admission includes a tour of the lower level with items of Victorian mourning and the 19th century doctor's office.

    Maps & Info

    Main Stage & Seance

    Hotel San Carlos

    Located at the corner of Central and Monroe in Downtown Phoenix, the historic Hotel San Carlos was built in 1927 in the Italian Renaissance style. The San Carlos has been a favorite haunt for Hollywood stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Mae West, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, and others. It has been restored to its historic elegance and frequently appears at the top of the list of most haunted hotels in America.

     

    Address:

    202 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004

     

    Email:

    boxoffice@poefest.org

     

    Phone Toll-Free:

    (888) 343-4228

    Transportation

    Travel

    Airport: Phoenix Sky Harbor
    Valley Metro Rail: Van Buren & Central
    Cross Streets: Central & Monroe

    Parking

    Parking

    ABM Parking: $6 (cash only)
    324N 1st Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85003
    ABM Parking $5 (cash only)
    248 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ 85003
    Ampco Garage $12 (4 hrs. - cards accepted)
    303 N 2nd Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85003

    Restaurants

    Food

    Céntrico Restaurant & Bar
    202 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004
    Cornish Pasty Co.
    7 W Monroe St, Phoenix, AZ 85003
    Seamus McCaffrey's Irish Pub & Restaurant
    18 W Monroe St, Phoenix, AZ 85003

    Maps & Info

    'The Raven' at Rosson House

    Rosson House Museum

    Built in 1895, Rosson House Museum sits on its original foundation in historic Heritage Square in Downtown Phoenix. Built in the rare Stick-Eastlake Queen Anne Style, this striking Victorian mansion is fully restored complete with a 19th century doctor's examination room. The Museum tour will also include creepy items of Victorian mourning.

     

    Address:

    113 N 6th St, Phoenix, AZ 85004

     

    Email:

    boxoffice@poefest.org

     

    Phone Toll-Free:

    (888) 343-4228

    Transportation

    Travel

    Airport: Phoenix Sky Harbor
    Valley Metro Rail: 3rd Street/Washington-Jefferson
    Cross Streets: 7 St & Monroe

    Parking

    Parking

    Heritage Garage: $12 (cards accepted)
    501 E Monroe, Phoenix, AZ 85004
    Phoenix Convention Ctr East: $12 (cards accepted)
    601 E Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85004

    Resataurants

    Food

    Rose & Crown Pub
    628 E Adams St, Phoenix, Arizona 85004
    Pizzeria Bianco
    623 E Adams St, Phoenix, AZ 85004

    Maps & Info

    Don Bluth Front Row Theatre

    Don Bluth Front Row Theatre

    Don Bluth is a legendary animator, film director, producer, writer, and video game designer. In 1955, he worked on Disney's Sleeping Beauty as an assistant to the Director of Animation John Lounsbery. He began working for Disney full-time in 1971 on projects such as Robin Hood, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, The Rescuers, and was Director of Animation for Pete's Dragon. He left Disney in 1979 to work on his own, creating The Secret of NIMH and the ground-breaking arcade games Dragon's Lair and Space Ace. He later teamed up with Steven Spielberg to create An American Tail and Land Before Time and then Fox Animation Studios with Anastasia. Don started his small theatre in the living room of his Scottsdale home more than a decade ago. As the shows grew in popularity, the troupe moved into its current space at Pima Crossing in 2012. Don's theatre has graciously hosted a few nights of PoeFest every year since 2015. Tickets for PoeFest at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre are sold separately by the theatre and are not yet on sale. Don Bluth shows are not available for Festival Passholders.

     

    Address:

    8670 E Shea Blvd #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85260

     

    Email:

    info@donbluthfrontrowtheatre.com

     

    Phone Toll-Free:

    (480) 314-0841

    Transportation

    Travel

    Airport: Phoenix Sky Harbor
    Valley Metro: 80 - Northern Ave/Shea Blvd
    Cross Streets: Shea Blvd & Loop 101

    Parking

    Parking

    Parking is free at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre.

    Resataurants

    Food

    Scottsdale Beer Company
    8608 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
    Jade Palace Chinese Restaurant
    9160 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260

    Contact Form


    The Raven