Columbus filmmakers' Emily Dickinson movie to celebrate poet at Bexley Drexel Theater

BEXLEY, Ohio (WCMH) — A celebration of the life of American poet Emily Dickinson will take place at the Drexel Theater on the anniversary of the renowned writer's birthday, with the screening of an award-winning short film produced and shot in Columbus.

According to a news release, the Dec. 10 event will include talks on Dickinson’s life and details about the film's production, a birthday cake, and a poetry contest. Attendees are also welcome and encouraged to dress the part by donning the Victorian-style apparel of the mid-1800s.

The movie, “Showdown in Amherst,” was created by a central Ohio filmmaking team, made up of writer and producer Amy Drake, director and cinematographer Kingsley Lims Nyarko, scriptwriter Tiana Coreus, and other crew from the Columbus College of Art and Design. Additionally, Ohio-based actors served in starring roles with Courtney Lucien as Dickinson, Douglas Fries as Higginson, Gaynelle Sloman as Mary, and Drake as Dickinson’s sister Lavinia. 

Filmed at the historic Thurber House in Columbus, where humorist James Thurber once lived, the period piece tells the story of Dickinson and her literary mentor, Col. Thomas Wentworth Higginson. The pair’s “historic meeting” is depicted, and Higginson’s dismissal of her groundbreaking work as not “real poetry” due to its unconventional rhymes is explored in the Telly award-winning picture.

The night will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at the Drexel Theater, 2254 E. Main St. Admission is $5.