Eligibility
Grades 3 – 8
Cost: None

About The Show
The thumping of a heartbeat. The creak of a door. This vivid theatrical adaptation of some of Edgar Allan Poe’s best-known works rises from the page like corpses from the grave. Be careful. Do you hear that tap, tap, tapping?

Shuddersome: Tales of Poe is an imaginative retelling of some of Edgar Allan Poe’s best known works, including The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death. Specters, ghosts and ghouls come alive with a script that remains faithful to the source material.

From Edgar Allen Poe
Adapted by Lindsay Price

Directed by Cynthia Kirkman Romoff
Assistant Directed by Meredith Hutchison Hartley and Rachae Thomas

Content Warning
This play includes elements of horror, suspense, death, grief, mourning, and implied murder/violence. Parental discretion is advised. To peruse the script before the auditions, contact education@spokanecivictheatre.com.

Performance Details
October 23 – 25, 2026
Fri: 7:30PM | Sat – Sun: 2:00PM
Margot and Robert Ogden Main Stage

Auditions
Sun. September 20 – 2:00 – 3:30PM
Mon. September 21 – 5:00 – 6:30PM

Spokane Civic Theatre, Main Stage Lobby
1020 North Howard Street
Spokane, WA 99201

Rehearsals
October 19 – 23
9:00 AM – 4:00PM

Notes

• Seeking all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds for all roles; age range and gender of characters is flexible.
• Show proceeds will benefit Civic Education programs and scholarships.
• While this “Show in a Week” is scheduled during SPS students’ fall break, other students who are on flexible schedules, (i.e. homeschool or flexible learning environments) are all encouraged to participate.

Characters
This play involves solo readers, narrators, dancers, pantomime, and ensemble reading. All roles are flexible and most are gender non-specific. There are no traditional “leads” or supporting roles, it is a true ensemble work. Characters fall roughly into the following categories, but actors may be assigned to more than one group.

• Storyteller/Reader (solo lines, some with extensive memorization)
• Rosalie Poe (Narrator role(s))
• Pantomime/Non-Speaking Feature (featured moments that are mostly movement)
• Shudders/Ensemble (group lines, creative movement and improvisation required)