The musical "Nevermore" runs at Drury University's Wilhoit Theatre through Nov. 7. "Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe" was written and composed by Jonathan Christenson.
Dr. Gretchen Teague is the director of Drury's production. She chose the show to challenge her students' acting skills.
"I'm hoping that they're able to grab hold of the script and do the analysis and all that work that an actor would do on their own before they would go off to work with someone outside of the education setting," said Teague.
Except for the actor portraying Edgar Allan Poe, the performers serve as narrators, with each actor playing up to 10 different characters.
"I want them to be able to experience things that maybe they wouldn't get in a traditional theater setting," said Teague. "So it's really very much an ensemble piece. We have eight actors who are on stage the whole time, including our Edgar Allan Poe, who never leaves the stage."
The musical tells a fictional story inspired by the mystery surrounding Poe's death. In 1849, Poe was traveling from Richmond, Virginia, to New York when he stopped in Baltimore. His whereabouts remained unknown for several days before he was found in distress and taken to a hospital, where he died four days later.
"Edgar Allan Poe is fascinating and he had all sorts of strife. The story of Nevermore is telling the possibilities of what could have happened in those four days," said Teague.
For information on showtimes and ticket prices, visit drury.edu/theatre.
