Play of Poe’s poetry balances light, dark

From left, Chris Walsh, Dani Colburn and Shannon Flynn are part of Blackout Theatre Company’s production of “The Poe Project: Merely This and Nothing More,” inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s stories and poems. (Barney Lopez/Blackout Theatre Company)

Chris Walsh is ready for his close-up.

The longtime member of Blackout Theatre Company is used to sidekick roles that are often comedic, but this time the pressure’s on.

The actor snagged the role of Dr. Valdemar Usher in the theater company’s new production, “The Poe Project: Merely This and Nothing More.” The running time is 82 minutes and there will be a gala on opening night on Friday, March 22.

	If you go WHAT: “The Poe Project: Merely This and Nothing More” WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23; 2 p.m. March 24. Repeats March 29-31 and April 5-7 WHERE: VSA North 4th Arts Center, 4904 Fourth NW HOW MUCH: $15 general, $10 students, senior at www.blackouttheatre.com or 672-8648

The play is inspired by the poems, tales and essays of Edgar Allen Poe. The tale follows Usher, who is a prolific scientist lost in his dark experimentations. Usher is paid a visit by an old friend, Auguste Dupine, who brings along a new assistant, Rowena. Dupine hopes that the beautiful Rowena will help guide Usher back to sanity.

“There’s some anxiety with this part,” Walsh explains. “I understand how Usher sometimes gets tunnel vision and focuses on one thing. I’ve done that before, so I can relate to him on that level. The entire story is about obsession and love.”

“The Poe Project” is a revision of an original play that Blackout wrote nearly three years ago.

Jeff Andersen, artistic director, says revisions to the play began last fall. He says that knowing that some of the company members were going to be cast in the play, the group worked diligently to separate the two scripts.

“We went back and looked at the characters and wanted to develop them better. On the surface, each character was strong, but each one needed more depth,” Andersen says. “As a group, we re-read the first script and saw where we could fill in the holes. I think being able to get a chance to work on that really elevated the play to where it’s at now. It’s a stronger and darker piece.”

Katy Andersen, who plays Lenore and is involved with Usher’s life, says while the play is inspired by Poe’s works, one doesn’t need to understand his works to get it. She also says the play is not suited for young children due to some of the violence.

“There’s an element of surprise and that’s something that everyone can understand,” Katy Andersen explains. “It’s also very dark, though we’ve tried to keep some of it very light.”

Jeff Andersen says it was quite a fete to balance the light and dark of the play. He says the cast has been going through the play and making sure it shines through.

“There’s comedy in the play and we need to make sure that it stays funny,” he says. “That’s been one of the challenges that we’ve all been working on.”