PoeFest - A month of madness and terror

05/26/2026

Who, us?

05/08/2026

Our hearts go out to all after hearing this hideous news.

01/20/2026

Happy Birthday Edgar Allan Poe!

Happy birthday to our master!

10/31/2025

Congratulations to our PoeFest Student Writing Contest winners!
Poetry Winner- Emily T. for "Misophonia"
Short Story Winner- Miles H. for "The Street Lamp"

We thank Bookmans Entertainment Exchange for their sponsorship of prize packages for these students and hope students across Arizona will continue to write and share their work at every opportunity.

10/27/2025

Always a delicious delight. Thank you English Rose Tea Room for such a beautiful place to cast our shadow for Arts Education!

10/17/2025

It is the breaking of his hideous arm and our hearts.

For 5 years we have all waited to see James D. Porter perform The Tell-Tale Heart for 17th Annual PoeFest at the Hotel San Carlos 2025, and we are so sorry to announce that due to an accident while setting up for the event, James’ left arm broke and shattered his shoulder socket. He will not be performing The Tell-Tale Heart on 10/17 and 10/24. He will not be performing at Poefest Séance on 10/18 and 10/25.
James has never missed a show. Until tonight.
For 17 years of performances, he acted and directed half a dozen stories of classical literature so they would be available for any classroom or library at a moment's notice.
Through a cancer diagnosis and treatment, followed by other health difficulties that made him wonder if he should stay home and rest, he was here, and always happy about it.
Because like you, he believes in art. He knows the people who come year after year by sight and name, and he only had the opportunity to meet you all because he put on a show 17 years ago, and the first 6 people liked it and brought friends the next week.
He started PoeFest as a fundraiser for Arts Education. He knows first-hand what art brought to his education and his life. He credits arts education with saving his life, and when he learned that AZ students were missing out, he had to step up and do something.
That something is Arizona Curriculum Theater Inc.

James would perform if he could. He was so humbled and awed by the ticket sales after a 5-year hiatus from the mainstage. He would have done it all one-handed and sitting, and we would have still felt menaced in the best way, but we are in the middle of treatment, and he could make his injury critically worse were he to push himself as he has in the past.

We understand that most of you purchased your tickets with The Tell-Tale Heart in your hearts, and we hope you can forgive us for disappointing you. We hope you will still lock yourselves away with us.

Tonight's performance will be
Dream within a Dream
The Oval Portrait
The Cask of Amontillado

Thank you.
Danette Porter, VP and wife.

Experience 17 years of madness at PoeFest 2025 in Phoenix! Chilling theatrical performances of Edgar Allan Poe's classics. Oct 17-31. Benefits ACT Inc.

10/13/2025

The Main Stage and Seance are both sold out for 2025.
TIckets ARE STILL AVAILABLE for Halloween - 'The Raven' at Rosson House at The Square PHX. See a chilling rendition of Poe's classic poem from the Grand Staircase of a beautifully restored Queen Anne Eastlake Victorian mansion. This is where Poe was meant to be heard!

Experience 17 years of madness at PoeFest 2025 in Phoenix! Chilling theatrical performances of Edgar Allan Poe's classics. Oct 17-31. Benefits ACT Inc.

10/10/2025

Main Stage: We have 10 tickets left for 10/24 and 10 tickets left for 10/25. And that's it. After those are gone, our Main Stage will be SOLD OUT. So buy them up while you can.

The Raven at Rosson House: Tickets are still available every 20 minutes after 8 PM, but they are going fast, too. Don't wait!

PoeFest Seance: We are SOLD OUT.

Experience 17 years of madness at PoeFest 2025 in Phoenix! Chilling theatrical performances of Edgar Allan Poe's classics. Oct 17-31. Benefits ACT Inc.

10/05/2025

www.poefest.org PoeFest is peeking at you from right around the corner! Tickets are flitting away and soon will be nevermore. The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Masque of the Red Death, The Raven. Don't miss these shows before we have to wall up our actors in the catacombs for another year.

10/02/2025

Main Stage on Saturday, Oct. 18 is SOLD OUT.
ALL PoeFest Seance performances are SOLD OUT.
We have Main Stage tickets left for Oct. 17, 24, and 25.
We have Raven at Rosson House tickets available for Halloween.
Act now to make sure you don't miss it!

Experience 17 years of madness at PoeFest 2025 in Phoenix! Chilling theatrical performances of Edgar Allan Poe's classics. Oct 17-31. Benefits ACT Inc.