Poetry Theatre – From The Bard to Eric Bogle

Charles Durning, Willie Nelson, Hume Cronyn in Unique Video Verse

Oct 16, 2009

Anthony Herrera, villain James Stenbeck, on As The World Turns, author of The Cancer War, presents Ogden Nash, William Butler Yeats, Jane Austen, to new generations.

Poetry Theatre is a unique way for future generations, and those who love poetry, to see it recited by performing artists who also share a love for poetic verse.

Through Poetry Theatre, one not only experiences timeless prose brought to life through video verse, but the chance to learn more about the each performer, their selected poet, and their chosen piece be it classic William Shakespeare (The Lunatic, The Lover, and The Poet) or the haunting lyrics of Eric Bogle (And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda), and Hank Williams (I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry)

For this series, in addition to Poetry Theatre, Anthony Herrera (now in remission) speaks candidly about his triumph over Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a rare and fatal cancer, outlined in his book The Cancer War, his plan to put Poetry Theatre in school curriculums, and his great love for playwright Tennessee Williams.

Anthony Herrera and Willie Nelson

Anthony Herrera, an award-winning producer, writer, director who hails from Wiggins, Mississippi, says the idea for Poetry Theatre – with New York co-producer Steve McGraw (Forbidden Broadway, A Couple of Blaguards, Forever Plaid) – originally came from good friend legendary singer / songwriter Willie Nelson.

Anthony Herrera: “One night I was in Willie Nelson’s bus, I have known him since 1997 and we were not even talking about poetry, (they had spoken about it in the past) but Willie is so smart he remembers everything. He said you ought to put your poetry on the web. The web is powerful.”

Poetry Theatre's Steve McGraw

Anthony Herrera: "I met (co-producer) Steve McGraw at the only computer class I have ever taken. They were going around the room making introductions. I am terrible at computer stuff. They asked people why are you taking the course. One guy had a roofing company, and then I hear a guy say well, I own a theatre. Steve (in addition to his many theatre / writing credits) is very talented with computer technology and helped me create Poetry Theatre.”

Poetry Theatre's goal is to create an archive of great poetry performed by actors who understand and love the material. Each new addition makes this trove more valuable to future generations.

You have Charles Durning (Rescue Me) and the late Hume Cronyn (Cocoon) reciting Ogden Nash, Tyne Daly (Cagney and Lacey) and Frances Sternhagen (Sex and The City) reciting Edna St. Vincent Millay, Malachy McCourt (author - A Monk Swimming) reciting Siegfried Sassoon, and Willie Nelson reciting one of his signature songs, Me and Paul. Do the actors get to choose what they want to recite?

Anthony Herrera: “Charles Durning and I have been friends since 1972. All these people are doing this for the love of poetry, so they do whatever they want to do. We don’t pick the poems."

The Great War Poet Robert Service, Playwright Tennessee Williams and Spiritual Power of The Arts

Anthony Herrera: “When I was told I was going to die Jan 1997, I came back to the apartment I was staying at, and I printed up How Calmly Does the Orange Branch (Nano's Poem from Night of the Iguana) read it every day, and learned it very quick. For four and a half years I called it my Pagan Prayer. So, when Steve put it on the website and it said Pagan Prayer, I laughed and said no, that’s not the real title.”

“Art is what kept my spirit up through all the horror and the pain. It’s impossible to describe what a (stem cell) transplant is like. It was Tennessee Williams, it was Willie Nelson, it was Louis Armstrong, that kept me going.

(Robert) Service is so delicious. In fact, this started one night at my good friends Richard and Edwina Sandys (granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill). I forgot how we got around to it. I did Jobson of the Star, a profound poem, and it has all that wonderful imagery that Service does. For Poetry Theatre I plan to do Dangerous Dan Magrew, Glass from the Spill, and Battle of the Yukon, from Service."

(Currently Poetry Theatre features Herrera reciting Tennessee Williams, (How Calmly Does the Orange Branch) Carl Sandberg (Explanations of Love) and William Shakespeare (The Lunatic, The Lover and The Poet)

Anthony Herrera: “I was a member of the Will Geer Shakespeare Company the five years I lived in Beverly Hills and I did Theseus so many times. I did it for five years. Our season went from Shakespeare’s birthday (supposedly April 23) until it got too cold. I always thought this piece was great because it deals with the creative imagination, and lunacy and I thought it was good title for my one man show.”

The copyright of the article Poetry Theatre – From The Bard to Eric Bogle in Playwrights & Stage Actors is owned by Coral Andrews. Permission to republish Poetry Theatre – From The Bard to Eric Bogle in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.