Dracula at Stetson’s Second Stage Theatre
Are you brave enough to witness the thriller to be bestowed upon the Second Stage Theatre? Stetson University continues its 107th season with Stephen Dietz’s melodramatic thriller Dracula, adapted from Bram Stoker’s novel with the same name. The horrific and classic story brings forth an adaptation to the stage that is not to be missed. Dracula is directed by Caitlyn Foster, senior theatre arts major at Stetson University, and will run from Wednesday, Feb. 13 through Sunday, Feb. 17.
Mysterious, gloomy castles and open graves at midnight are just two of the Gothic devices used to chilling effect in this 19th-century horror classic that turned an obscure figure from Eastern European folklore into a towering icon of film and literature.
Dracula revolves around an ancient evil that has set its sights on London in 1899. Jonathon Harker is sent to Transylvania to make arrangements for Count Dracula to take up residence at Carfax Abbey, an abandoned building right next door to Dr. Seward’s asylum for those suffering from extreme psychosis. When Lucy, the love of Dr. Seward’s life, falls strangely ill, Dr. Van Helsing is called in to help with the diagnosis. These men of science and their allies find themselves fighting more than illness of the body and mind; they are facing the evil of the vampire, Dracula.
“I want your fear,” says Dracula, “For your fear, like a current, rushes through your body.” Dracula is a unique experience that brings forth the chills, thrills and fears that have been enjoyed by many for decades.
“I’ve always been drawn to horror movies, specifically monster films,” says Foster. “Even as a kid I obsessed over the Universal monsters and other monster-like movies that stemmed from them. Dracula was always the ultimate monster for me, because his story is so layered. No matter how many times I read the book I feel like I get an entirely different meaning behind it, and Steven Dietz’s play articulates that aspect on stage. It is the ultimate experience for me as an aspiring director to get to bring my favorite story to life onstage for my final semester here at Stetson.”
The ensemble cast of Dracula includes Max Morgan, Jacob Manos, Olivia Moeschet, Corley Groves, Michael Wallace, Alex Schelb, Ellen Smittle, Erin Foster, Roxy Ghamgosamia, and Orion Meades.
Showtimes are 8 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. The Sunday performance will be a matinee on Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. (The final dress rehearsal of Dracula which will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m., will be open to the public. Audience members will not be charged admission for attending this preview rehearsal.)
Admission for each performance is $12 for adults, and $10 for senior citizens and non-Stetson students. Stetson students, faculty, and staff presenting valid I.D. will be admitted free of charge.
Stetson Theatre Arts’ “Second Stage” Theatre is located in the Museum of Florida Art at 600 N. Woodland Blvd. Parking is free. Tickets will be available at the door, and can be purchased by either cash or check. Reserved tickets must be picked up 30 minutes prior to the start of each show.
For information or reservations, call Stetson Theatre’s “Second Stage” box office at (386) 822-8700. Box office hours are from 3:30 to 5:30 every weekday afternoon from Feb. 4 through 15, and one hour prior to curtain of each performance.
Listen to a radio interview with director Caitlyn Foster:
