The stage is lit in blue as Dr. Seward, played by Blake Sanders, narrates the night Count Dracula arrives in a small, seaside English town.
The lights in the theater drop to a pitch black and the audience stares into the darkness. From somewhere at the back of the theater a piercing, blood-chilling scream causes audience members to jump and a spotlight chases Mina, the wife of Dr. Seward, played by Mallory Zabrocky, as she races down an aisle to the stage pursued by Dracula’s monster form, played by Spencer Randall. From this very first scene, the audience is glued on the edge of their seats.
Mines Little Theater’s production of Dracula, directed by Rachel Gregg, tells a version of Bram Stoker’s classic. Ms. Gregg chose this show because she “loved the balance of darkness and light, seduction and love” and she “was excited to challenge the actors for a darker show”.
Dracula is a very physical show; much of the tension and drama in this show is conveyed through the actions of character, more so than dialogue in many cases. This level of physicality is different from the style of past Mines Little Theater productions. It is refreshing to see Mines Little Theater try a show so different and to bring the power and terror of Dracula to stage so convincingly.
This show displayed the acting talent and technical capability of the theater company. The actors take on accents to establish where their characters originate and draw the audience into believing the genuineness of each role. Ms. Gregg notes “A member of the cast is very familiar with multiple accents so she helped with subtleties and exercises to help develop accents.”
The technical side of the show makes excellent use of lighting to bring to life Count Dracula’s supernatural presence, from closing doors without touching them to using lighting to cover his miraculous disappearances. In addition to subtly hinting at his power by employing red lighting whenever he is on stage.
In the words of the director herself, “The actors did a phenomenal job in bringing the story to life in a believable and earnest way. This is one of my favorite shows I’ve seen Mines Little Theatre do.” Mines Little Theater earns a solid 9 out of 10 for bringing the dramatic tale to life.
Mines Little Theater is holding auditions for their spring show, The Addams Family Musical on November 27th and 28th from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM in BE 241 and BE 243.
