ON VIEW THROUGH JULY 29, 2017
Dave Kopka, Nancy Doniger, Donna Miskend, Carol (Klio) Burrell
special guests:
Michael Patrick Hearn, James Armstrong, Charlie Vazquez
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| James Armstrong, as Edgar Allan Poe |
The opening reception started off with a performance reading by James Armstrong of Poe's lesser known works represented by the artists in the exhibit.
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| James Armstrong and audience reading of The Bells, by Edgar Allan Poe |
The last selection was a reading of The Bells with audience participation including Lucy Aponte, Community Associate of Poe Park Visitor Center, and exhibitor Dave Kopka.
AN INTERVIEW with playwright James Armstrong
conducted by the curator, Donna Miskend
DM: What draws you to the work of Poe?
JA: I love how Poe uses language to create such
evocative images. He is always choosing words that have the exact right sound
for what he is trying to say. A poem like "The Bells" for instance,
fuses form and meaning. The final part doesn't just have a creepy meaning, but
it even sounds creepy. The same could be said of "The Raven." Every
time I get to the end of "The Raven" and read about how the bird
"still is sitting, still is sitting"
it gives me the shivers.
DM: Does performing his stories/poems change or
add to your interpretation of Poe's work?
JA: Like many nineteenth-century authors, Poe
expected his work to be read aloud, and you don't fully appreciate his writing
until you hear or recite it. Saying the word "Amontillado" over and
over again is a different experience than just reading it in your head. If you
ever wonder why Poe keeps repeating certain words and phrases, read the piece
out loud. You'll understand.
DM: Does his work inspire you as a playwright?
JA: I've never adapted the work of Poe into a play
before, but Poe knew Charles Dickens, and so I worked him into a play called Dickens Condensed which is now published and has been
performed all over the place. Poe's one play, Politian, is not generally respected by scholars, but
I rather like it. Poe never finished it, and I really wish he had. I think he
had the makings of being a fine playwright if he had kept at it.
DM: Who are the writers that influence your work?
JA: I really like writers who create entertaining
plays that also make you think. Aristophanes, Henrik Ibsen, and Bertolt Brecht
were all great at that. Their plays can have you laughing out of your chair or
sitting on the edge of your seat with anticipation, but they do more than that.
You finish their plays, and you have all these new things to think about that
you'd never before considered. Tom Stoppard also does that, as does Paula
Vogel.
DM: Any upcoming performances or your plays or
appearances?
JA: My play Capital about Karl Marx and his teenage daughter
just finished a run at Detroit Repertory Theatre, and I'm hoping some other
theaters will be picking it up soon. I also wrote an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland that's going to be touring in North
Carolina next year. Stay tuned!
For more interviews with people in the arts visit Donna's interview blog
July 15th
Poe themed writing workshop
with Charlie Vazquez, author and Director, Bronx Writing Center
For more information call the visitor center 718.365.5516 or visit their website calendar under Poe Park Visitor Center.
