Dracula opening weekend a success
image from the stage production
“Dracula” opened Friday night, Oct. 28, in the Dixon Center Auditorium, just in time to finish out the month of October with some eerie fun. An encore of the show will be performed for Homecoming Weekend 2016 as well.
Students, faculty, and theatre-lovers of the community filled the Dixon center along with Dr. and Mrs. Conn who were also there showing support to the theatre majors.
The show is the second of four plays produced by the theatre department during the semester.
The cast is made up of eight students, five of which are freshmen. Three additional students contributed as stage managers and costume designer.
“I think the play was very well executed, especially since the cast is mostly freshmen,” Josh Deville, who worked in the costume department, said.
Dracula is a play adapted from a gothic horror novel written in 1897 by Bram Stoker.
“Stoker’s novel is a fascinating study of how light and good battle darkness and evil in our world,” director Christine Williams said. “It is a novel featuring characters of deep faith.”
Nathan Kessler-Jeffrey’s adaptation of the show was chosen because of the focus he put on the faith of the characters.
“Dracula” follows the stories of Jonathan, Mina and Lucy as they have separate encounters with Count Dracula, a vampire disguised as an aristocrat.
The story begins in the month of October and is set in London, Transylvania, Whitby and Budapest in 1897.
The crowd responded to the play with grimaces and laughs as the storyline travelled through light and dark scenarios.
It is recommended for those in attendance to be over the age of 12 due to frightening scenes.
“I thought the play had a great storyline and message behind it,” freshman Gabby Flannergan said.
The play is free for Lee students and faculty and will be performed three more times, Thursday, Nov. 3 – Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7:30.
Visit www.leeuniversity.edu/theatre/season or Lee University Theatre on Facebook to stay updated on future shows.
