Ayrshire team in Baltimore for the most Gothic festival ever

The fact that we were dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller - which featured the voice of the late great actor - made it even more special.

That was just one of our many highlights as we attended the festival marking the 175th anniversary of the death of Edgar Allan Poe.

And Ayrshire played a key role in the whole event.

A taste of Raven Beer at the festival (Image: Newsquest) As part of Poetic Justice Productions, my colleague, actor Steven Duffy and I were invited to Baltimore to perform a show and deliver a lecture on the great Gothic author's time in Ayrshire as a child.

Young Edgar arrived in Ayrshire in 1815 with his foster father John Allan and his wife Frances, who took in the orphaned boy following the death of his parents. Mr Allan, born in Dundonald and raised in Irvine, had gone to Richmond, Virginia in the hopes of making his fortune.

He returned to Irvine to make trade deals, as well as spending time with relatives in Greenock and Kilmarnock.

Steven at the movie night (Image: Newsquest) And Edgar, aged six, was sent to Irvine Grammar school, where he would often be sent to the neighbouring Irvine Old Parish Church to write down the inscriptions on the gravestones.

Now we're not saying that led to his love of horror, entombment and all things Goth but...

While planning for a three-day event to honour his time in Ayrshire - Ravenfest - we've performed some of Poe's works across the county and also launched a short story competition for work in the style of Poe, which attracts entries from around the world.

Outside the Poe Museum (Image: Newsquest) We have also led online lectures on the disintegration of the relationship between Poe and his stern Presbyterian stepfather, courtesy of Poe Baltimore and its amazing director Enrica Jang.

For a community interest company formed just before lockdown, an invitation to the 175th anniversary of Poe's death was definitely not to be missed.

The festival was organised by Poe Baltimore, who also run the small but splendid museum in the author's former house in the city.

For the 175th anniversary of Poe's death - and the 75th anniversary of the museum itself - they pulled out all the stops.

Guest speakers included Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer author Michael Connolly, Poe biographer Mark Dawidziak and Academy Award-winning music supervisor, Jeffrey Pollack.

And the wonderful Victoria Price, daughter of horror legend Vincent, discussed her father's legacy before a screening of his iconic Poe adaptation The Masque of the Red Death.

On the bill (Image: Newsquest) For our own part, we had two performances on the Baltimore stage. The first, in the impressive Carrol Mansion, was a lecture on Poe's time in Irvine and the acrimonious relationship with his foster father John Allan.

The big one was a scripted performance entitled Poe Vs Allan, based on the letters between the pair. This one was held in Westminster Hall itself, where Poe is buried and came just before the main lecture of the festival, delivered by Ashley Kniss, associate professor and director of writing, department of English, Stevenson University.

No pressure then. Thankfully we got a great reception with an engaging question and answer session with the audience following.

And far from being dry and academic, the lecture by Professor Kniss was on the 'Gothic Mycology and Posthuman Ethics in Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher'. In other words, the effect of mushrooms and other fungi on the characters in that epic tale... with a few references to current TV hits such as The Last Of Us. Brilliant fun!

Steven checks out the stage at Westminster Hall (Image: Newsquest) Our whole five-day trip was packed with historic Poe site visits - and a few detours to scenes where hit TV show The Wire was shot.

But the highlight was The Black Cat Ball, held in 1840s Plaza, where the great, the good and the gruesome gathered to celebrate the great man's life.

Superb costumes, a very Goth-themed playlist and amazing food and drink sealed the deal. Though as Steven and I made our way to the event, suitably clad in semi-period costumes, we were stopped in the street by a couple of young ladies who asked us: "Are you magicians."

Sadly, we're not. But the magic of Poe is perhaps stronger than ever in this day and age. Just ask fans of recent TV shows Wednesday and The Fall of the House of Usher.

As for Poetic Justice Productions, our annual short story winners will be announced in November.  We're also planning to bring Doomsday to Ayrshire in 2025 - representing Scotland in the annual worldwide 24-hour recital of Poe's work.

And most of all, we're still working on bringing a three-day Ravenfest event to Scotland - no mean feat given the lack of public funding available for the arts right now. Any potential corporate sponsors welcome!

To find out more visit here.

We like to give a bit shout out to Kat Harrison and her team at the Break A Leg Academy for their fantastic fundraising efforts on our behalf. And thanks to Enrica and the Poe Baltimore team for looking after us and making us so welcome in Poe Country...