American Gothic: The Poetry of Edgar Lee Masters

Thirteen actors individually, and as an ensemble, create the former townspeople of Spoon River, Illinois, who now inhabit The Hill, the town graveyard. In this fictional town we find people not so different from ourselves: people who tell the truth, or not, speak of their happy or unhappy lives, often crystallizing a moment that expresses their one regret or a humorous insight. Often the characters are connected and irony is a by-product of their stories. Interspersed among the poems are period songs and dances.