Event kicks off monthlong homage to Edgar Allan Poe

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Monday, February 24, 2014
Written by: Casey Westlake

The University of Iowa’s Old Capitol Museum will launch a semester of events paying homage to classic author Edgar Allan Poe with a screening of The Masque of the Red Death at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, in the Senate Chamber.

The classic 1964 film starring Vincent Price tells the story of Prince Prospero, who terrorizes a plague-ridden peasantry while inviting the local nobility to a masked ball in his castle. When a mysterious hooded stranger appears, the true terror begins.

Old Capitol Museum is showing The Masque of the Red Death in conjunction with the exhibit Poe: A Wilderness of Mirrors, on display in the second floor rotunda until May 25. Other upcoming programs in conjunction with this exhibit include:

  • Storyteller Darrin Crow will perform “Morbid Curiosities: An evening with Edgar Allan Poe” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 12. A reception will follow.
  • Students from the English class of Christine Norquest will present a special reading of selected works of Poe at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9.
  • The museum will screen the 1961 classic film The Pit and the Pendulum at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23.

For more information on Poe: A Wilderness of Mirrors and related programming, contact the Old Capitol Museum at 319-335-0546 or email old-capitol-museum@uiowa.edu.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to participate in this program, contact the Old Capitol Museum in advance at 319-335-2010.