Your favorite fearful Poe poems and stories come to life!.
Using music, movement, and macabre pageantry, Theater in the Open explores the emotional tension and otherworldly atmosphere that underscores the work of Edgar Allan Poe.
Join us at the Gedney House in Salem on October 6th, 7th, 13th, and 14th, at 6:30 PM and 8:00 PM
Join us at the Ellen T. Brown Memorial Chapel, Oak Hill Cemetery in Newburyport on Sunday, October 15, at 6:30 PM and 8:00 PM
Meet the Cast of POE
ALLEGRA DUBUS-BRANDOLINI
ALLEGRA DUBUS-BRANDOLINI is thrilled to be joining the cast of POE. Recent credits include Waiting for Godot (Firehouse Center for the Arts), Emotional Creature (Firehouse Center for the Arts), The Little Mermaid (Firehouse Center for the Arts), and School of Rock the Musical (Ogunquit Playhouse). She has performed in countless productions at Sarah Lawrence College such as Head over Heels the Musical and Twelfth Night. She trained at the British American Drama Academy in London and recently graduated with a BA in Theater and Creative Writing at Sarah Lawrence College.
Previous Theater in the Open credits include The Crucible (2022), The Game of Love and Chance (2022), Metamorphoses (2021), Julius Caesar (2018), Medea (2018), and Antigone (2017), among many others.
BONNIEJEAN WILBUR
BONNIEJEAN WILBUR is an actress, director and costume designer. Her directing debut was the 1997 production of Much Ado About Nothing with Theater in the Open.
Previous Theater in the Open credits include The Tempest (2019), A Cinderella Panto! (2018), Antigone (2017), among many others.
CAILIN MCFARLAND
CAILIN MCFARLAND is a Newburyport based actor, educator, and costume designer. She is thrilled to return to POE.
Previous Theater in the Open credits include Metamorphoses (2021), Julius Caesar (2018), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2017), and Antigone (2017).
CARA OLANSKY
CARA OLANSKY received her BA in Theatre Performance from Butler University. While enrolled at Butler, she spent a semester in London studying comedy, dance, and playwriting at Middlesex University. There she wrote her original script, Rhythms of the Underground, which made its Chicago debut with Dramatis Personae in 2008. To further her theater practices, Cara has trained with Black Box Acting Studios (Chicago, IL), The Actors Studio (Chicago, IL), 2nd Story (Chicago, IL), Claire Simon Casting (Chicago, IL), and Profiles Theater (Chicago IL). Cara also holds an MS in Early Childhood Education and spends her time promoting the importance of the arts as it relates to social/emotional development, peer relationships, and critical thinking skills in early childhood classrooms. Some of her favorite credits include “Josie” in The Skryker (Butler University), “Erzulie” in The Voodoo Chalk Circle (The State), “Harriet” in Ozma and Harriet (Tympanic Theater Company), “Katherine” in The Taming of the Shrew (Theater in the Open), “Dr. Gilbert” in The Sweetest Swing in Baseball (Step Up Productions), and “Marcia Marie” in Where’s My Money? (Dramatis Personae).
Previous Theater in the Open credits include Julius Caesar (2018), and The Taming of the Shrew (2004).
EDWARD F. SPECK
EDWARD F. SPECK has a long history with Theater in the Open, having been a company member for 12 years before taking on the role of Artistic Director in 2009. His first show with Theater in the Open was 1997’s Much Ado About Nothing directed by Bonniejean Wilbur. Previous credits with Theater in the Open include Medea (Jason), The Tempest (Caliban), Antigone (Creon) and lots and lots of clowns over a decade of Pantos. He has recently been seen in Pericles with 7 Stages Shakespeare and Waiting for Godot at the Firehouse Center for the Arts. An Amesbury native, Edward now lives in Newburyport as artist in residence at the Maudslay Gatekeeper’s House, which allows Teddy and his wife to raise their young daughters on the edge of these magical woods.
Previous Theater in the Open credits include The Crucible (2022), A Game of Love and Chance (2022), and A Nutcracker Panto! (2021), among many others.
ERIN STAFFIERe
ERIN STAFFIERE grew up at the Dance Place in Newburyport, where dance and theater closely intertwine. She continues to explore that relationship, learning from experience, as well as her mentors and collaborators. Both as a member of Exit Dance Theatre and, more recently, working with Theater in the Open, Erin is increasingly inspired and moved by the experience of dancing to text in addition to music. She shares her passion for telling stories through movement at The Governor’s Academy, The Dance Place, and Theater in the Open’s Summer Arts Workshop. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, daughter, dog, and two guinea pigs
Previous Theater in the Open credits include Poe and Antigone (2017).
SIERRA GITLIN
SIERRA GITLIN has been working with Theater in the Open as an actor since 2017, performing in Antigone as part of the chorus. She has appeared as Medea and in several pantos since. Sierra serves on the Board of Directors of Theater in the Open.
Previous Theater in the Open credits include A Nutcracker Panto (2021), The Tempest (2019), Medea (2018), among many others.
