The Camden Fringe will host the UK debut of Edgar A. Poe’s Last Call, a solo production written and performed by Scott Robinson, with a five-night run at Camden People’s Theatre from 11 to 15 August 2026. The piece promises a blend of poetry, music and psychological drama as it traces the final hours and inner turmoil of the American writer Edgar Allan Poe.
What the show offers
Developed through classes at The Barrow Group in New York and workshopped at The Rat Theatre in Brooklyn, the production seeks to collapse the boundary between imagination and lived experience. It uses a mixture of storytelling forms — monologue, music and evocative sound design — to probe themes of grief, loss and creative obsession.
- Run: 11–15 August 2026 at Camden People’s Theatre
- Written and performed by: Scott Robinson
- Director: Shannon Patterson; Executive Producer: Kate O’Connell
The production is billed as immersive and intimate, aiming to invite the audience into the fragile mental space of an artist whose life and myth often blur. It asks questions about the cost of artistic brilliance and the sacrifices artists make in pursuit of their work.
“This show provides us with the rebellious act of escaping our screens and joining other humans in an artistic pursuit into the unknown,”
Those are the words of Scott Robinson, who has said the project grew from his fascination with Poe’s work and life. The company behind the piece, RFI NYC Productions, describes the show as an opportunity to examine the tension between creative genius and self-destruction, rendered through a historic, macabre lens.
Cast and creative team
Although Robinson is the solo performer, the staging includes a supporting ensemble of voice artists and a technical team whose contributions shape the production’s atmosphere. Voice performances are credited to Tina Marie Serra (Virginia), James Smillie (Roderick Usher) and Morgan DiTaranto (Berenice). The creative crew features:
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Director | Shannon Patterson |
| Executive Producer | Kate O’Connell |
| Lighting Designer | Jacqueline Scaletta |
| Sound Designer | Allison Casey |
| Assistant Sound Designer | Kelsey O’Connell |
| Costume Designer | Jevyn Nelms |
Camden’s fringe circuit has long been fertile ground for international and experimental companies looking for close-up encounters between performer and public. A platform like Camden Fringe, operating alongside venues such as Camden People’s Theatre, offers a way for smaller productions to reach local audiences and for the borough’s cultural life to remain eclectic and visible.
Local context and what it means for Camden audiences
For Camden residents and regular theatre-goers, the arrival of a US company with a UK premiere underlines the Fringe’s continued pull for overseas work. The staging — declared immersive and intimate — is typical of the festival’s mix of offerings, from fringe comedy to ambitious single-voice dramas that rely on lighting and sound to conjure larger worlds in compact spaces.
Practical details such as ticketing, showtimes and age guidance were not supplied in the announcement and should be confirmed via Camden Fringe listings or Camden People’s Theatre near the run. The production’s creative notes stress an engagement with the darker side of artistic life — a theme likely to attract audiences interested in literary biography and psychologically driven theatre.
Whether you are a Camden local who wants a close-up theatrical experience, a Poe aficionado, or simply curious about how an American solo show translates to a London fringe stage, Edgar A. Poe’s Last Call will be one to watch during the mid-August programme.
