Pink Hanger presents “Poe-sers” at 7 p.m. Sept. 6 and 8 p.m. Sept. 7 and 14 at DaVinci Art Alliance, 704 Catharine St. The play, which examines the fabric of time through Edgar Allen Poe’s poetry, is partially autobiographical.

“As a child I was given a big, thick book of poetry, and I started reading a lot of Poe. I rediscovered that book after 20 years and found the pages still marked. When I opened it, I was reconnected with my past.”

The play features a sleeper character who wakes in the middle of the night to read and write. When she opens the old book, it acts as a portal to her past. Poe’s words serve as little intros into her experiences in life. It’s very dark and dense. It’s essentially about how obsessions manifest through time.

“The play is not a straight line — it’s a tapestry woven by minutes and hours. The idea is that there really is no time, per se. The world was born with lightness and darkness, but we decided upon beginnings and endings. The play asserts that time and hours are mere human fabrications.”

DiPronio said she hopes the play deeply affects audiences.

“I’d like people to recognize who they are when they see this play. I think all of us have experiences like the sleeper at times in our lives. I want people to see it and not be in so much denial of who they are. Everyone feels abandonment and fear as children and we bury those feelings. By reconnecting with those feelings, we can see that they’re universal. I want people to see this play and be surprised and intrigued and interested.”

She added that although the play itself is not “gay,” it deals with homosexual experiences based on her life.

“It references two women who are lovers and deals heavily with women’s issues. As with most of my work, it aims to empower women.”

DiPronio said wine receptions follow each performance.

“I think everyone will need the wine after the play,” she said.

To celebrate the Bicentennial of Edgar Allan Poe, Susan remounted the one-act play in the September 2009 Philadelphia Fringe Festival.  It was honored by being included in The Third International Edgar Allan Poe Conference held in Philadelphia in October, 2009 where she spoke on the development of the piece and the influence of EA Poe on her life and work.

Press: uwishunu

Carly L. Bodnar is The Sleeper; Donna Earl, The Raven; Emily Cheney, The Victim (Annabel Lee); and Lauren Rooney The Girl (The Bells).