1859. Poe was dead to begin with. The dominion of the Red Death grows, infecting the streets of Charles Dickens’s London. Blending and bending the legacies of two literary icons, Illimitable Dominion explores the emergence from isolation into a world reimagined by Poe’s most lethal creation.

Inspired by the 1842 meeting between Charles Dickens and Edgar Allan Poe at the United States Hotel in Philadelphia, Illimitable Dominion speculates a clandestine bond between the writers that would continue long after Poe’s death in 1849. A decade later, Dickens’s charmed career is threatened by whispers of scandal and adultery, but a much more sinister shadow looms over the celebrated writer as Poe’s macabre fiction bleeds onto the pages of the Dickensian canon.

Illimitable Dominion is staged as a living graphic novel where brief vignettes become the panels and blackouts become the gutters of human imagination between the frames. This socially-distanced, immersive experience takes audiences through one of three distinct narratives following the “creation” of the famed ghosts from A Christmas Carol.

Illimitable Dominion marks the third installment in Forgotten Lore Theatre’s evolving, literary-inspired, immersive cycle, Evermore, preceded by Dissever My Soul (2015 FringeArts Festival) and Ashes of a Dead Philosophy (2016 FringeArts Festival).

Limited to 12 audience members per performance, Illimitable Dominion is performed outdoors and in accordance with City of Philadelphia safety guidelines with labeled 6 foot minimum distance markers between audience members from different households and minimum 20 foot distances from performers. Audiences are expected to wear masks for the duration of the show. Sanitizing materials and masks will be provided on site to those who need them.

Upon arrival, audiences should enter the cemetery from the Belmont Avenue entrance, Signage will be posted in the cemetery to guide audiences to the parking lot closest to the specific performance venue. Additional signage will guide audiences from the parking lot to the performance space at the cemetery receiving vaults, a short uphill walk over paved surface.

Performances are partially ambulatory and require audiences to walk brief distances over level, lighted ground. Comfortable attire and footwear are recommended.

To further safety precautions, seating is not provided during the show’s 50-minute runtime, and audiences are encouraged to bring camp chairs, blankets, etc. if they are not comfortable standing for the duration of the performance.

Audience members will be contacted at the email provided when purchasing tickets for further details. Audiences are encouraged to visit the company website, forgottenlore.org for additional information and updates regarding performances.

Please Note: Performances contain use of fog and smoke. Recommended for ages 13+.

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$13 general admission

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