DRACULA Opens At The Noho Arts Center 2/7/09

Acclaimed director Ken Sawyer (The Woman in Black) brings his own vision (and additional scenes from Bram Stoker's original novel), to this adaptation which is a darker and sexier take on the legendary story; a tale of an evil ages old and yet forever new. Lucy Seward, whose mother is the doctor in charge of an English sanitorium, has been attacked by some mysterious illness. Dr. Van Helsing, a specialist, believes that the girl is the victim of a vampire, who is at last, found to be one Count Dracula - whose ghost is only able to be laid to rest in a particularly striking manner.

Staring:
Rob Arbogast as Dracula, Joe Hart as Van Helsing, Darcy Martin as Lucy, J.R. Mangels as Jonathan Harker, Alex Robert Holmes as Renfield, Karesa McElheny as Dr. Seward, Mara Marini as Min, Tahni Delong as the Maid and Chad Coe as the Attendant.

Dracula previews on Saturday, February 7 at 8pm; Sunday, February 8 at 3pm; Wednesday, February 11 at 8pm, Thursday, February 12 at 8pm and will open on Friday, February 13 at 8pm and will run for six weeks through Sunday, March 22 at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim) in North Hollywood. Ticket prices are $25.00 for all performances.

*Please note that this production contains some nudity and is suggested for mature audiences.

THE NOHO ARTS CENTER ENSEMBLE (NoHoACE - formerly OPEN AT THE TOP) was formed in 2004 by theatre veterans James J. Mellon and Kevin Bailey. NOHO ACE is the Center's resident company and now numbers over 60 actors, directors and writers who passionately fulfill their vision statement, "Theatre for its own sake." In its first season, OPEN AT THE TOP produced 2 World Premiere Musicals, THE GHOST & MRS. MUIR as well as the West Coast Premiere of the musical DORIAN, both parts of ANGELS IN AMERICA, the Los Angeles Premiere of Seth Greenland's JERUSALEM, and 7 evenings of 24 HOURS OF MADNESS, whereby it produces six fifteen minute plays in 24 hours. Their second season brought the hit musical production of BARNUM, the critically acclaimed ELIZABETH REX and the World Premiere musical LIZARD. This past season OATT presented the World Premiere of FEED, a play written by OATT Founding Member Jim Lunsford and directed by Artistic Director James J. Mellon as well as presenting the West Coast Premiere of the New York hit musical revue, BUSH IS BAD, THE MUSICAL. In their first three years, OPEN AT THE TOP has received 17 Ovation Award nominations; 3 LADCC Award nominations; 2 Garland Awards and 10 Garland nominations; 2 LA WEEKLY Award nominations; 6 ADA Awards and 12 ADA Award nominations.