EDGAR ALLAN POE is DEAD: An Immersive Dining Experience

13th Year Brings New Twists to the Popular POE Show at Clay Hill Farm
Clay Hill Farm Presents… EDGAR ALLAN POE IS DEAD! An Immersive Dining Experience is the NEW title of this fan-favorite show at Clay Hill Farm Restaurant. The 13th Year of Edgar Allan Poe at Clay Hill Farm returns with local actor, Kirk Simpson reprising his role as the Master of the Macabre, but the addition of Jim Winters- (actor and Simpson's husband), as Poe's Adversarial counterpart Rufus W. Griswold, offers a new sinister twist. The show kicks off for a 7-date run on Halloween night.

Things are different right away in the 13th installment of POE, as the audience finds themselves thrust into the darkness of a funeral…the funeral of Edgar Allan Poe. Hosted by Rufus W. Griswold, the infamous author who rushed to write Poe's obituary and tarnish the famous author's name forever, audiences will be surrounded by the action with every delicious bite, as it takes place throughout the dining room. With such horrifying tales and poems as The Cask of Amontillado, For Annie, Anabelle Lee, The Tell Tale Heart and The Raven, Poe rises from the grave with revenge in mind and weaves new takes on the dark classics everyone has grown to love. When asked to describe his take on 'immersive dining, Simpson said, "I want the audience to not only watch but feel like they are a part of it. All our guests' senses will be kicked into high gear on their visit. We have an amazing menu planned with the delectable delights audiences have come to expect at Clay Hill Farm but now we are transforming the room so that audiences have a sense of foreboding right from the start. My favorite part is being able to make the guest guess what's next and surprise them at each turn. Immersive theater puts the guest right in the middle of it all and that's what I've been trying to do and continue to elevate each year at Clay Hill Farm. The classics are all there, but who knows what I'm going to do to bring them to life this time? I love to see the audiences faces as I tell a particular story," says Simpson, "seeing them squirm in their seats, especially while they enjoy exquisite fare such as Clay Hill Farm's famous Prime-Rib while I weave a tale of pre-meditated murder...it's fantastic!"Tickets for EDGAR ALLAN POE IS DEAD! are $25 per person, plus the cost of food and beverage. Evening performances are at 6 p.m. while matinee shows are at 1 p.m. The shows kick off Halloween Night, Thursday, October 31st! Other shows include Thursday evening November 7 and 14 and Saturday and Sunday matinees November 2-3, 9-10. Seating is limited. Reservations are required. Call (207) 361.2272 and visit www.ClayHillFarm.com for more details.

Simpson will continue at Clay Hill Farm in December of 2024 with Dinner with Dickens, an evening with Charles Dickens and his very special reading of 'A Christmas Carol', followed by Robert Frost: Fire & Ice in February 2025 and Mark Twain returning in April 2025.

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Kirk Simpson started performing back in 1985 where he began his career in acting at the local Renaissance Faire in Largo, Florida, from there the next 36 years were filled with Renaissance Faires across the east coast, musical theater, theater, children's theater, interactive themed events and so much more. Fresh from playing King Richard at King Richard's Faire in Carver, MA, where he has reigned for the last 6 years, Simpson currently resides in South Berwick with his husband and family.

Clay Hill Farm is an award-winning restaurant and special event venue on 11 private acres in Cape Neddick, Maine. Clay Hill Farm is a proud supporter of both the community and the arts, with a passion for locally sourced food and professional service to offer an authentic Maine experience.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jennifer Lewis jen@clayhillfarm.com