The Resident Ensemble Players to Present Audio Production of THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE

The Resident Ensemble Players will present their audio production of The Murders in the Rue Morgue, newly adapted from Edgar Allan Poe's classic thriller by REP company member Michael Gotch. Streaming October 27th - November 14th, this spine-tingling tale is sure to give you a Halloween fright!

In this grisly story, all of Paris is shocked by the horrifying murders of a mother and daughter. Their bodies are viciously brutalized - one decapitated, one dreadfully slashed and wedged up the chimney. Multiple witnesses heard the murderer but give contradicting reports. Police are baffled at the nearly supernatural strength of murderer and are left with no evidence as to how the criminal entered or escaped the scene.

REP company member Michael Gotch is thrilled to take on this project as director and script adaptor for The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Gotch is no stranger to adapting a classic story for a modern audience. His adaptation of Dracula terrified and delighted listeners last year.

When asked about the process of adapting this classic Poe tale into a new audio production, Gotch says, "I think stories like this gothic tale and writers like Bram Stoker and Edgar Allan Poe lend themselves really well to dramatization because they have such vivid plots as well as an element of the uncanny. Even if you're not a horror aficionado, these stories are vibrant in the drama at their core. In The Murders in the Rue Morgue, there's a lot of gold to mine, for the listening audience and for an artist trying to do new version of it."

The cast includes REP company members Kathleen Pirkl Tague* (Madame L'Espanaye, Isadora Muset), Elizabeth Heflin* (Camille L'Espanaye, Pauline Dubourg), Hassan El-Amin* (Edgar Allan Poe), Mic Matarrese* (August Dupin), Michael Gotch* (Newsman), Lee E. Ernst* (Detective, Alfonzo Garcia), and Stephen Pelinski* (Sailor). *Members of Actors' Equity Association.

The creative team includes Michael Gotch (Director and Adaptor), Eileen Smitheimer (Sound Designer), and Ryan Touhey (Composer).

Full of horror and all things grim, The Murders in the Rue Morgue is the perfect Halloween treat! Listeners can stream the REP's audio production of The Murders in the Rue Morgue for free anytime from October 27th to November 14th through their website at www.rep.udel.edu.