Edgar Allan Poe versus Mesmerism

Join Leanna Renee Hieber, author, actress and NYC ghost tour guide as she discusses the critical ways in which Edgar Allan Poe took on some of the pseudosciences and spiritual fads of the mid 19th century and how that inspired stories like “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” and made him both a…

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Shadows Over London

London trembles under the weight of a creeping darkness, but something stirs in the shadows, a force unseen, a whisper of hope against the encroaching night. Safiya Nawaar and Troupe Banat Nawaar present “Shadows Over London,” a breathtaking steampunk belly dance performance where the fate of the city hangs in the balance. Amidst the clockwork…

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Victorian Villain Contest

A competition to determine who should be the next President of “The Society of Super Villains”. Competition Categories will include: APPEARANCE (all contestants) 1.A Best Costume 1.B Overall Theme VOCAL (all contestants – down the line) 2.A Maniacal and/or disturbing laugh 2.B Catchiest catch-phrase COMMUNICATION (all contestants) 3. Comments/Talent Demonstration/Relate an experience INTERVIEW (selected contestants)…

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You’re Cordially Gin-vited!

As cities grew and industry expanded in the Victorian Age, the newly-developed middle class began to get a taste for luxuries previously reserved for the wealthy. Among these were cordials: sweetened, distilled spirits that could be enjoyed before dinner or with dessert. Though gin was thought to have originated in the 1500’s for medicinal purposes…

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