DRACULA Opens on Friday 10/13 at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company continues its debut season at The Otto M. Budig Theater with Dracula by Steven Dietz, from the novel by Bram Stoker opening Friday October 13. The production runs through November 4, and is directed by Producing Artistic Director Brian Isaac Phillips. Longtime ensemble member Giles Davies reprises his role as Dracula, alongside Artistic Associate Miranda McGee as Lucy, Jim Hopkins as Van Helsing, Crystian Wiltshire as Jonathan Harker, Caitlin McWethy as Mina, Billy Chace as Renfield, and Kyle Brumley as Dr. Seward. All seats in the new Otto M. Budig Theater are less than 20 feet from the stage so audiences will be amazed at how close to the passion they will be!

British solicitor Jonathan Harker (Crystian Wiltshire) falls mysteriously ill as he travels to the Carpathian Mountains to conduct business with his client, the wealthy and elderly Count Dracula (Giles Davies). Upon recovering, Harker believes that the terrible things he has witnessed at the Count's castle are nothing but the hallucinations brought on by a fever. Meanwhile, Dracula has departed for his new home in England, where Lucy (Miranda McGee), the best friend of Harker's fiancée Mina (Caitlin McWethy), has likewise become inexplicably ill. As Lucy slowly dies, Harker realizes that he must revisit his own terrifying memories of Dracula to save his beloved Mina from the deaths that follow wherever the Count goes.

"I have long been a fan of horror novels, horror films, and all things macabre," says Brian Isaac Phillips, CSC's Producing Artistic Director and director of Dracula. "To bring this script to life on the new stage at The Otto M. Budig Theater is a delightful Halloween treat - not just for myself, but for the whole city." Stephen Dietz's stage adaptation of the quintessential Victorian vampire tale is fast-paced and action-packed, utilizing frequent location jumps to create a narrative whirlwind. "As a Shakespeare company, we're very well qualified to take on that format," Mr. Phillips explains, "because Shakespeare does that so much, so we're practiced in using storytelling tricks and techniques to make those transitions clear and exciting."

Dracula runs October 13- November 4, with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM, as well as Saturday November 4 at 2:00 PM. Preview performances are on Wednesday October 11 and Thursday October 12 at 7:30.

The theater is now located at 1195 Elm Street in OTR, adjacent to Washington Park. Single ticket prices range from $27-$52. Preview performances are $28. If available, $14 student rush tickets may be purchased thirty minutes before a show with a valid student ID. This production is a Special Event and is not part of this season's subscription package but subscribers do receive 15% off tickets. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Ticketing fees may apply. Discounts are available for students, seniors, area residents, and groups as well as AAA members. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at www.cincyshakes.com.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages. In the summer of 2017, the theater relocated to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in OTR. CSC's repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics. CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors' Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association. Each year, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company's Education and Outreach Programs reach over 50,000 young people and underserved community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions. In 2015, CSC was proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to "Complete the Canon" by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati's stage for the classics!

This season is funded by ArtsWave and is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Production dates and information on the season are available online at www.cincyshakes.com.

The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest presents Shakespeare in American Communities. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company was one of 40 professional theater companies selected to participate in bringing the finest productions of Shakespeare to middle- and high-school students in communities across the United States.