DRACULA Comes to Life at CCT

This full-length, bloodcurdling play opens October 18 and runs throughOctober 31, just in time for Halloween! Columbus Children's Theatre presents this haunting tale for viewers fourth grade and up and all who love a thrilling tale. While this show has an adult cast, this kind of production is a wonderful learning opportunity for younger actors to see how professional theatre companies run in the comfort of their own theatre. CCT's production, directed by Pamela Hill, will feature original music composition and extravagant technical elements that will captivate all audiences.

Based off the novel by Bram Stoker, Steven Deitz's play, "Dracula," will make your skin crawl from the very first toll of the bell in the Transylvanian countryside to the final closing of the coffin. Lawyer Jonathan Harker returns home to London from a business trip to the Transylvanian countryside and finds the best friend of his fiancé was bitten by a vampire! Lucy's bite causes her to act wildly, and with the help of psychologists and doctors, Mina, Harker, Seward, and Van Helsing band together toi get to the bottom of the mystery. What they do not expect to find, or what they pray to be untrue, is the rumored vampire Count Dracula has entered their town and will continue to hunt for fresh blood at every turn. Harker and the other doctors must stop the Count before he bites back and turns everyone in London into vampires!

Enhancing the mysterious atmosphere of Dracula, the production will feature original music composition by Morgan Thomas-Mills, CCT Touring Company Road Manager. "The music is not traditional for this show, and doesn't match the aesthetic of the show, but that is intentional," Thomas-Mills says about his efforts to press the anxiety that the characters feel into the audience. Thomas-Mills plays up the panic and anxiety-driven qualities of the show by surrounding the audience with eerie orchestral strings and heartbeat-like pulsating melodies, orchestral strings surrounding the audience, and an emphasis on the dissonant and atonal quality.

This show is nothing short of haunting with all the on-stage magic made possible by Technical Director Isaac Steinhour. Including slight-of-hand tricks, quick changes, and smoke and mirrors, "Dracula" will draw the audience in and make the story come to life. One of the best technical advancements Steinhour has created for this show is the "limo coffin", or Dracula's coffin. It is "rigged with hydraulic castors, two built-in smoke machines, and its own battery," Steinhour says, which will add to the show's elaborate effects. While Steinhour has worked with CCT on previous productions, he is thrilled to sink his teeth into more technical work here.

CCT would like to thank our season sponsors: Greater Columbus Arts Council, The Columbus Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, The National Endowment for the Arts, American Electric Power, The Shubert Foundation and Nationwide.

Cast and Production Staff
This production features Kelsey Hopkins (Mina), Jack Miller (Harker), Lindsey Capritta (Lucy), Leo Santucci (Seward), Douglas Gustafson (Renfield), Dave Hammond (Van Helsing), Travis Horseman (Dracula), Kate Jones (Vixen/Attendant), Ashton Brammer (Vixen/Attendant), and Daniel Gibson (Waiter/Attendant).

The production staff includes Pamela Hill (Director), Stacie Bigl (Stage Manager), Don Yarman (Asst. Stage Manager), Michael Brewer (Scenic Designer), Isaac Steinhour (Technical Director), Tonya Marie (Costumer/Props Master), Maggie Prouty (Costume Asst.), Nitz Brown (Lighting Designer), D.C. Simpson (Wig Designer), Suzanne Camilli (Makeup Designer), Morgan Thomas-Mills (Music Composer), Chris Rusen (Projection/Sound Design/Board), Angela Barch (Fight Choreographer), Matthew Cherubino (Backstage Crew), Michael Manter (Backstage Crew), and Bill Goldsmith (Artistic Director).

Tickets are $18-$28, and Thrifty Thursday pricing of $14. Call 614-224-6672 or visit www.columbuschildrenstheatre.org