Just in time for Halloween, Bram Stoker’s classic vampire tale, “Dracula,” is hitting Triad Stage with a cast and creative crew that includes 11 UNC Greensboro alumni, faculty, and students.
Preston Lane, Triad Stage co-founder and an adjunct graduate faculty member in the School of Theatre, serves as the playwright.
“I think it’s a story that bears repeating,” Lane says. “This adaptation, in particular, is about the duality of evil and how those that are good can become evil in the process of trying to defeat it. I think it asks a lot of questions about what evil is, while also being really entertaining and scary.”
Lane’s adaptation is unique as the original language from the book is preserved, and the story takes place across Europe. The play travels through time between Transylvania, where Dracula is holding a man captive in his castle, and London, where he is causing terror in the streets as he goes after his next victim – the captured man’s wife.
Another interesting aspect of the adaptation is that each actor plays multiple roles.
“I get to play your standard Victorian doctor, but also a vampire lurking in the shadows. Getting to portray those two extremes is exciting,” says Michael Newman, a junior theatre student.
Newman is grateful for the unique partnership between UNCG and Triad Stage. As the largest professional theater in the region, Triad Stage has been an important partner of UNCG since the theater’s inception. Throughout its 19-season history, Triad Stage has provided professional opportunities to more than 250 UNCG students and has been an artistic home for UNCG alumni to come back to and share their talents.
“I probably wouldn’t have this opportunity if it weren’t for UNCG and its fantastic partnership with Triad Stage. I get vocational training and professional acting experience,” says Newman.
Brian Mullins ’00, who credits UNCG as the place where he truly learned what acting was, uses the techniques he learned from UNCG to play Renfield, Coachman, and Ship’s Captain.
“I think one of the most important techniques I learned at UNCG is that acting isn’t about you, but the other. Listening makes your performance better. Using that technique makes me do work that I’m proud of.”
In addition to the outstanding acting in the play, Sarah Hankins ’16, associate artistic director for Triad Stage and dramaturg, praises “Dracula” for its special effects, action, and spookiness.
“There’s nothing more thrilling to me than being in an audience so completely captivated by a play that we believe the danger on stage is 100% real.”
Blood, action, and special effects? It’s a can’t miss for the season.
“Dracula” runs Oct. 25 through Nov. 10, with tickets available through Triad Stage.
On opening night, Friday, Oct. 25, an American first edition of “Dracula,” provided by University Libraries, will be on display.
Story by Alexandra McQueen, University Communications
