Theatre Co RavenMad for Poe

CYGNET & Swan youth theatre company has gone gothic, rehearsing thirteen of Edgar Allan Poe’s poems and stories.

As part of their RavenMad production, approximately 30 people will perform the historic writer’s works initially in a series of podcasts, and videos to follow.

Director Olivia French said it’s all about making unusual poetry and prose more accessible.

“These stories are really well known in literature circles, but in many ways, they’re kind of hard to access,” she said.

“They’re beautiful and wonderfully created, tapping into the darker side of the human soul, but there’s complex language, and they were written 200 years ago. They’re not so easy to broach.”

Actors are voicing characters or providing narration, while the theatre company is engaging other artists, from watercolour painters to LEGO builders, to create works which complement and lift the telling of each of the 13 stories.

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Bells will be performed by Mad Swan Harmonics choral speaking choir.

The first podcast – just like an audio play – will be released in March, and the first video – to be filmed at Kryal Castle – will be shared in the following months on YouTube.

“We’re hoping we can create, share these, and have them as resources so teachers and students can use them in schools,” French said.

Cygnet & Swan’s Alexandra Meerbach said the company has a goal to showcase their work during Ballarat Winterfest, and locally perform elements live at some point.

Their mission is to create art that “makes a difference.”

“Creating art for art’s sake is great, and there’s a place for that, but as a company, we want everything we produce to have a greater purpose, whether it be through education, speaking about social issues, or opening discussions about things that need to be talked about,” Meerbach said.

“Even just allowing people to have a voice that might not normally get a voice. We’ve got about seven projects in the works at various stages of development.”

Cygnet & Swan launched in 2015 presenting a play for teenagers about bullying and suicide, funded by the City of Ballarat. RavenMad has been financially supported by the Ballarat Arts Foundation.