A Portrait of Poe

“A Portrait of Poe”
A one man play starring Mark S. Sanders
A fundraising event for “Pennies for Poe”
October 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th and 21st - 8:00pm (doors 7:30pm)
AREA 405, 405 E. Oliver Street, Baltimore MD, 21202
$10
410-528-2101
www.area405.com

AREA 405, in association with Pennies for Poe, PoetryInBaltimore.com and the Hamilton Arts Collective, presents “A Portrait of Poe,” a one man play starring Mark S. Sanders. This fundraising event will donate a large percentage of all proceeds to “Pennies for Poe,” an organization dedicated to the preservation of one of Baltimore’s most important historical landmarks, the Poe House.

“A Portrait of Poe,” a one man play starring actor and poet Mark S. Sanders, explores the complexity of Edgar Allan Poe's character through dramatic recitations of his poems, excerpts from his short stories and correspondence and quotes from his various essays. This three act drama seeks to demonstrate the correlations between his work and his struggle to deal with life, love and loss; a journey filled with obsession, humor, romance and remorse. Rather than add to the confusion and contradiction often encountered when attempting to present a historically accurate Poe, this play draws almost exclusively from his works and letters. In this way, it is hoped the much beloved and esteemed poet, author and critic will be allowed to speak for himself, while his inscrutability and mystique remains intact.

Mark S. Sanders is an actor, poet, graphic artist and freelance writer. He has had lead and supporting roles in numerous feature films, short subjects, music videos and plays. He has been a featured poet at nearly 100 venues and events including The Martin Luther King Memorial Library, The Maryland Institute College of Art and the WHFS Festival at RFK Stadium. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals including The Pearl, The Shattered Wig Review and Hot Coffee, and in 2000, he was honored with an individual artist grant for poetry by the Maryland State Arts Council. He is currently a contributing writer and creative consultant for the nationally syndicated and multiple Emmy and Telly award-winning children's educational program “Aqua Kids.”

AREA 405: Located in a 150 year-old artist-owned warehouse within Baltimore's Station North Arts and Entertainment District, AREA 405 is committed to demonstrating and strengthening the vitality of the arts community within Baltimore. Consistent with the goals of the Arts District, AREA 405's mission is to produce, present and promote arts and cultural programming by providing a venue for artists from Baltimore and the Mid-Atlantic region. Please visit www.area405.com to view our calendar of shows and events.

Pennies for Poe is a charitable organization dedicated to the preservation of one of Baltimore’s most important historical landmarks, the Poe House. Spearheaded by author, journalist and president of the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore, Rafael Alvarez, Pennies for Poe collects donations and organizes fundraising events, the proceeds of which go to keep the Poe House open to the public. www.penniesforpoe.com

PoetryInBatlimore.com is Maryland’s premier online resource and interactive virtual community for literary news, events, reviews and discussions for Baltimore and beyond. PoetryInBatlimore.com also hosts, organizes and sponsors dozens of literary and multimedia events throughout the city and its adjacent communities. Please visit www.poetryinbaltimore.com to participate and learn more.

Hamilton Gallery is located on 5500 block of Harford Road, which is part of the main street area of the Hamilton community. Our gallery is membership operated with monthly shows featuring the works of our members as well as a featured monthly guest artist. Membership is open to all interested artists who seek to showcase and sell their work as well as assist in helping to maintain and grow the gallery. www.hamiltonarts.org.