A GIVING TUESDAY SWITCHEROO from National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre to Teachers

    BALTIMORE, MD, December 01, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Today, every non-profit organization wants you to look in your hearts today and spend a little money on a worthy cause. But this year, The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre has decided to switch things around, and give something back to an important community: Teachers.

If you are an educator anywhere in the world, The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre is offering a a free audio MP3 download of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" for use in your classroom. All that's required is to make the request using your school email address.

For nearly two years, including straight through pandemic isolation, The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre has produced monthly radio drama adaptations of the works of Edgar Allan Poe, through its Poe Theatre on the Air program. Poe Theatre on the Air is streamed from Baltimore, MD's National Public Radio affiliate WYPR-FM, NPR.org, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts a host of others.

The Library of Congress has recently begun archiving the full catalog of Poe Theatre on the Air programs for their "historical and cultural importance" to the public record.

The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre's Artistic Director Alex Zavistovich performed and produced this special dramatic recitation of Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death." This 14-minute recording includes all of the theatrical sounds fans of the NPR podcast have come to expect from Poe Theatre on the Air.

"I'm a firm believer in the importance of theatre in literacy," said Zavistovich. "You may be the best natural actor, but eventually someone will give you a script. Giving students a theatrically-enhanced listening experience of one of the great works of American literature could be extremely useful in promoting a deeper understanding of the material."

"This recitation of "The Masque of the Red Death" will not be made generally available," said Zavistovich. "We are offering it at no cost to educators, no strings attached, in support of Poe Theatre's ongoing commitment to literacy."

Find out about our The National Edgar Alan Poe's Giving Tuesday Switcheroo here: https://www.poetheatre.org/masque

The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre is the only theatre company in the world to focus on adapting the works of Edgar Allan Poe in a wide range of theatrical genres. The company's current producing arm is Poe Theatre on the Air, which releases monthly radio drama adaptations streamed from Baltimore National Public Radio affiliate WYPR.org, as well as NPR.org, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and many other aggregating platforms.

Planned as the world's first performing arts establishment dedicated to adapting the collected works of Edgar Allan Poe, The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre's long-term vision is to help bring tourism, responsible economic and cultural development, and educational resources to Poe's hometown of Baltimore.

For more information visit: www.poetheatre.org

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