Dallas’ TACA Kicks Off Its Fall Arts Crawl With An Edgar Allen Poe-Themed Night to Remember

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore – While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “‘Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door – Only this and nothing more.”

Here’s the thing about poetry — it should be read aloud. If the spooky magic of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” is lost on you, I’m so sorry. Those who attended TACA‘s (The Arts Community Alliance) Raven’s Night at Arts Mission Oak Cliff on Wednesday, October 9, certainly found the magic when local talent brought the 18-stanza poem to life.

Presented by TACA as the first event of this year’s Fall Arts Crawl, the October outing reminded me exactly why I love the arts. The arts bring people together and inspire conversation. The arts also normalize being weird.

Raven’s Night was wacky and wild in the best way. I can barely tell you what happened, but I know exactly how I felt — completely thrilled to not be doing the same old same old.

Upon arrival at Arts Mission Oak Cliff, a “sanctuary for local artists” housed in the restored Winnetka Congregational Church, grave diggers directed my friend and me to the check-in table. Dressed to the nines in the “American Gothic” dress code, we provided our names and drew tarot cards. Before I knew it, we placed our hands on an anthology of Poe’s works and were pledging allegiance to “the secret order of the Raven Society.” I tossed a lilac flower on a gravestone in the Shockhoe Hill Cemetery. All of this before we even reached the bar!

Lola and Todd Lott, the investors behind the impressive restoration of the building, hosted the TACA event, with the March Family Foundation as the TACA event’s arts and entertainment sponsor and the Donna Wilhelm Family Fund as the creative community sponsor. (The best dressed guest at Raven’s Night, Donna Wilhelm donned a black feathered shrug that even Moira Rose would have envied.)

Upstairs and inside the sanctuary, which now serves as a rehearsal and performance space for local artists, chef Justo Blanco and Boxwood Hospitality prepared a mid-19th century menu that included everything from “nightshade gnocchi” to a duck and “foe” gras pot pie, with a red wine poached pear for dessert. In addition to the signature cocktail, fittingly named “The Raven,” guests could also enjoy a Guinness or cider while raising a glass to the man of the hour.

Woven between courses, local artists performed, with Emily Ernst and Avery-Jai Andrews as the artistic producers. Mac Welch, as Poe, recited bits of the poem, performed a stand-up routine with frequent callbacks to a fictional beef with nemesis Stephen King, and even dined on stage. A raven, who turned out to be (spoiler alert!) Lenore, even held up cue cards and invited us to squawk “Nevermore!” Musicians performed haunting tunes. At one point, there was a worm puppet? I cannot tell you everything; you simply had to be there.

Pillars of the TACA community who were in the room where it happened included Donna Wilhelm Family President and Executive Director Maura Sheffler, as well as board members Jim Nugent, Grace Cook, Deborah McMurray, Sarah Cotton Nelson, Jill Tananbaum, and Tara Lewis, as well as Gayle Halperin, who, along with Nugent, will receive the 2025 TACA Silver Cup award.

The next time some visitor comes tapping at your chamber door and invites you to a TACA Fall Arts Crawl event? Go!