Meet Edgar Allan Poe at the Cumberland County Library
On Saturday, October 6, the Cumberland County Library in Bridgeton, NJ will host a free public one-man play, “Edgar Allan Poe at the Cumberland County Library”. Scholar and actor Bob Gleason of The American Historical Theatre will portray Edgar Allan Poe in an hour long performance including time for questions and answers from the audience. This free presentation begins at 2 p.m. in the library’s Meeting Room, in the lower level of the library.
Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre, as well as a contributor to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career. Exposing the inner machinations of the human mind and heart, Bob Gleason’s Edgar Allan Poe provides vivid images, terrifying tales, and heart-thumping excitement. But Gleason’s portrayal doesn’t stop there. He reveals the literary editor and critic determined to mine his mind and profit from his published works. And we discover the all-too-human Poe, the passionate poet, the intense husband, the haunted soul.
Joining the American Historical Theatre as James Wilson in 1991, the Bicentennial for the Bill of Rights, Bob Gleason had been portraying this Founding Father for the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge since 1985. In-depth historical research and audience interactivity have become hallmarks of Mr. Gleason’s historical portrayals. Since 1991, Bob Gleason has been AHT’s “go to guy” – If you need it, Bob can do it. Over the years, Mr. Gleason has been featured at the White House Visitor’s Center, Ford’s Theatre, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, Constitution Hall, the National Constitution Center, Independence Hall, Mask & Wig, Elder Hostels, Bartram’s Garden, Betsy Ross’ House, the General Warren Inn, and the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge. Mr. Gleason has been especially popular at schools, museums, historic sites and libraries throughout the United States. He’s now performing for the children of children he previously educated and entertained.
Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey Historical Commission /Department of State and the Cumberland County Board of Chosen Freeholders through the Cumberland County Cultural and Heritage Commission.
Cumberland County Library is located at 800 East Commerce Street in Bridgeton, NJ, 08302. For more information, call (856) 453-2210, ext. 103.