The blood-thirsty vampire Dracula has arrived in Savannah.
The Savannah Stage Company’s (SSC) fall production, “Dracula” is adapted from Bram Stoker’s novel by Catherine Bush.
Audiences can experience this one act adaptation in person and on stage at the Savannah Repertory Theatre’s PlayShop on Halloween weekend.
The SSC has done several literary adaptations by Bush, and this time in the director’s chair is SSC staple Lexi Balaoing Ambrose.
“There was a lot of pressure, I think, immediately taking on something like ‘Dracula,’ a story that was written over a century ago and has been done so much and portrayed in so many different ways,” said Ambrose.
For their 9th season, Savannah Stage Company is serving up a female-driven production that will show a fresh new take on a timeless horror classic. The vampire Dracula flees Transylvania for London, where the packed population provides plenty fodder for their blood-thirst. Only Agatha Van Helsing, the world-famous metaphysician, has a hope of stopping the undead.
“Ultimately we’ve always strived to make the bolder choices and go outside of what you know. We started with a miscast cabaret when we first did our first big fundraiser and we’re dedicated to offering these opportunities to people who wouldn’t, typically, let’s say, in this industry, be offered these roles,” said Ambrose. “That has always been something that we’ve strived to do. It just happened to align the stars just happen to align in this particular production where the play itself is written, where Ven housing was already written as a woman.”
You’ll have to see the show to find out if Van Helsing can save the day or will her heroic efforts merely render her the next victim to Dracula’s deadly bite?
In the title role of Dracula is another SSC leading lady, Ashley Frazell Cook. Leading the hunt for Dracula as Van Helsing is played by Megan Wellman Blanton, last seen as Madame de la Grande Bouche in SSC’s Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Dracula also stars company favorites Ellen Barneycastle as Lucy and McKenna Lyons as inmate Reinfeld.
SSC welcomes new company members Luisa Nolasco as Mina, Kory Johnson as Jonathan Harker, and Shawn Ringer as Jack Steward.
For their 2021 Season of Transformation, SSC is reminding that they set the parameters of their art and have the ability and responsibility to adapt, adjust, and transform based on the needs of the community they are serving.
“I would say the reason for transformation is that a lot of things have happened in world as well as closer to home. We’ve moved into different responsibilities that we’ve never been entirely challenged to do fully before. So that’s where it came about. It was just kind of a natural. This is what has to happen for growth to happen,” said Ambrose.
See the remaining shows of Dracula October 29, and 30 at 8pm and October 30 at 2pm at the Savannah Rep’s PlayShop at 980 Industry Dr. Purchase tickets at savannahstagecompany.com
